Nearly one in 10 Thurston County kindergartners lacked measles vaccination last school year, leaving the county below the level needed to prevent outbreaks as Olympia and Tumwater families prepare for the new school year.
The Thurston County Board of Health on Tuesday, Aug. 11, adopted a proclamation declaring August 2026 Immunization Awareness Month. The document disclosed that the average measles vaccination rate among the county's kindergarten classes fell to 90.6% during the 2025-26 school year, 4.4 percentage points below the 95% threshold public health experts say is necessary for herd immunity.
The gap matters now. Washington has already recorded 53 confirmed measles cases in 2026, according to the state Department of Health. That is more than four times the 12 cases confirmed statewide in all of 2025. More than half of this year's patients, 27 of 53, are school-age children between 5 and 17. Another 11 are younger than 5. Eighty-nine percent were unvaccinated.
No Thurston County cases had been reported as of the Department of Health's July 27 update, but the county's below-threshold vaccination rate means a single introduction could spread more easily in local classrooms.
The proclamation, prepared by Thurston County Health Officer Dr. Barbra Villona and department director Jen Freiheit, cited misinformation about vaccine safety and the fading of collective memory of vaccine-preventable diseases as threats to community health.
Nationally, the U.S. has logged more than 2,300 measles cases so far in 2026, surpassing the full-year 2025 total of 2,289, according to the Johns Hopkins measles tracker cited in the board's health officer report. Ninety-six percent of those patients were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
Free clinics before school starts
Thurston County Public Health is offering two no-cost immunization clinics for children ages 4 to 18:
- Wednesday, Aug. 19 — Thurston County Resources Hub, 929 Lakeridge Dr. SW, Olympia, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (during the Thurston County Resource Fair)
- Thursday, Aug. 20 — Roof Community Services, 10140 US-12 SW, Rochester, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (during a School Supply Giveaway)
Both clinics provide required and recommended school immunizations at no charge. The 2025-26 school year for Olympia and Tumwater districts began Sept. 3, 2025; start dates for the coming 2026-27 year have not been confirmed by either district.
Board of County Commissioners Chair Carolina Mejia and eight other board members signed the proclamation at the board's meeting at 3000 Pacific Ave. SE in Olympia.
