The Exemption Challenge

A Strategic Roadmap for Fannin County Public Health

The Current Landscape

Fannin County demonstrates strong early childhood participation, with a promising 88.8% MMR rate for toddlers (19-35 months), suggesting good initial access to care. However, this early success is being undermined at school entry. A high 20.51% Religious Exemption Rate has driven the Kindergarten Immunization Rate down to 78.97%, significantly below the 95% threshold required for herd immunity.

0% Kindergarten Rate
Target: 95% (Critical Gap)
0% Religious Exemptions
High Hesitancy Indicator
0% Toddler MMR Rate
Strong Start (19-35 Mos)
0% Toddler DTaP Rate
Needs Improvement (19-35 Mos)
0% Childcare Certs
Documented Coverage

Strategic Recommendations

1. Addressing Hesitancy

The high exemption rate (20.5%) indicates that while care is available, parents are actively opting out at school age.

Education
Launch community education campaigns to address vaccine hesitancy and misconceptions.
Engagement
Partner with faith leaders to foster open conversations about public health.
2. Leveraging Early Success

With 88.8% of toddlers receiving MMR, the system is working for young children. We must maintain this momentum.

Retention
Implement "stay on track" reminders for parents who successfully started the vaccine series.
3. Closing the Gap

There is a ~10% drop between toddler MMR rates and school entry rates that isn't fully explained by exemptions alone.

Logistics
Work with childcare centers (74.19% certified) to ensure records are transferred seamlessly to schools.
4. Driving Policy Change

Community immunity is at risk when one in five children are exempt.

Advocacy
Brief school boards on the local herd immunity risks posed by high exemption clusters.
Contact State Elected Officials Contact School Board Officials