Most Arizona parents vaccinate their children but the number who do not continues to grow, posing a significant health risk to schools and to the wider community, new data shows.

Unlike some states, including California and New York , which prohibit non-medical vaccine exemptions, Arizona gives parents and guardians a choice when it comes to immunizing their kids against vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.

Vaccine coverage for schoolchildren in California and New York is high and above the thresholds needed for community protection, national data shows , while statewide in Arizona, coverage is lower and in some areas, dangerously below safe thresholds.

The percentage of Arizona parents choosing to opt their kindergarten children out of one or more vac

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