Kansas was once home to the first town in the entire country to be fully vaccinated against polio.
In 1957, the folks in the aptly named town of Protection — population roughly 500 — lined up in droves, hoping to shield themselves and their families from a terrible disease that had killed and paralyzed generations of children.
… But today, folks here in Kansas and across the country feel far more skepticism toward vaccines — and not just the COVID-19 shots, but even the routine childhood vaccinations against diseases such as polio.
The measles immunization rate, for example, fell from about 95% in 2019 to 90% in 2023. That might not sound like a big drop — but it’s dangerous. Because measles is so infectious, outbreaks are possible when vaccination rates dip below a certain threshold. We’re seeing the effects in real time. Measles is on the rise in the United States, with over 2,200 cases in 2025. Ninety-one of those cases were in Kansas, the sixth-highest case count in the nation.
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