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Could an outbreak such as measles or polio occur in Santa Barbara County due to low vaccination levels? A new 2024-25 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report examines this question and concludes public health data and records are currently inadequate to track community-wide immunity levels essential to protect against such threats.
Vaccination rates may be declining in Santa Barbara County, as they are elsewhere in the U.S. If there are significant numbers of unvaccinated individuals in the area, a real risk exists that dangerous diseases may reemerge in our community.