Former CDC advisor says decline in kindergarten vaccinations nothing to worry about: 'Keep calm and carry on'

Recent data published by the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates fell slightly in the 2025-2026 school year.

Former vice chair of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Dr.

Robert Malone told Fox News Digital the drop is nothing to be concerned about.

The CDC on Monday released vaccination data for the 2025-2026 school year showing a 0.1% decline in vaccination coverage among children entering kindergarten and an increase in parents claiming vaccine exemptions for their children.

Malone, however, downplayed the significance of the decline.

"The latest CDC data indicates a 0.1% year-in-year decline in the uptake or acceptance of the vaccine schedule among kindergartners.

In certain contexts, the average across the United States shows roughly a 1% shift.

Regardless, we are still talking about a very low single-digit lack of compliance with the CDC's recommended vaccine schedule," Malone, an accredited physician and veteran scientist, told Fox News Digital.

RFK JR SAYS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS SHOULD BE THE MODEL FOR AMERICAN HEALTHCARE "Those are the facts," he continued, "and they are not particularly alarming." "Even by the CDC's own report, we still maintain a very high rate of compliance among kindergartners," he added.

Malone also criticized the media for its coverage of the data drop.

"The narrative that this represents a clear and compelling signal of parents becoming disaffected with vaccination... whoever's promoting that kind of messaging, it's not in the data," he added.

Malone specifically cited CNBC's coverage and its mention of an ongoing measles outbreak in the U.S., stressing that the U.S. is not an outlier.

"Media outlets like CNBC have highlighted that we are in the middle of a historic measles outbreak.