The risk of contracting diseases in Phoenix is rising, according to a new study about vaccinations and disease.
A study by the Public Library of Science Journal suggests that more kids are not getting vaccinated in the Phoenix metro area for either religious or philosophical reasons.
Check vaccination statistics at your child's Arizona school here.
The number of non-vaccinated kids has risen in 12 of 18 states that allow those vaccine exemptions.
The Valley is one of 15 metro areas around the country where more than 500 kindergarten-aged kids are not being vaccinated, per recent data.
Phoenix is considered a "hotspot" due to the large number of non-medical exemptions, according to the study. Seattle, Salt Lake City, Houston, Detroit, Kansas City and others are among those "hotspots".
With increasing non-medical exemptions generally comes an increase in the number of kids not protected against measles, mumps and rubella, the study says.
According to CNN, this is the first in-depth analysis of individual states with nonmedical exemptions.
Read more about the study and its takeaways here.
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- Outbreak of measles in Arizona in 2016 caused by immigrants refusing vaccines
