Fewer parents having kids vaccinated

More parents in Utah are choosing not to get their kids vaccinated, despite the high risk of outbreaks of illnesses such as mumps and measles.

The rise in non-vaccinated children has the Utah Department of Health concerned.

Immunization Program Manager Rich Lakin says non-medical exemptions in Utah district schools went from 4.5 to 5.0 percent between the 2016-17 school year and the 2018-19 school year.

Non-medical exemptions at charter schools rose from 8.1 to 9.25 during the same period.

Utah is one of just 18 states that allows parents to choose not to vaccinate their kids for religious or personal reasons.

Lakin says the department of health is working to find out more about why parents are choosing not to immunize their children.