Parents Who Delay Baby's First Vaccines Also Likely to Skip Measles Shots

A new study published in JAMA Network Open highlights a critical early indicator of childhood vaccination gaps: infants who miss or delay recommended vaccines in the first four months of life are significantly less likely to receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine on schedule.

Analyzing records from more than 321,000 children with consistent access to care, researchers found declining on-time MMR coverage and growing vulnerability as measles cases rise nationwide. For public health communicators, the findings reinforce the importance of early, clear, and trusted engagement with parents—addressing questions, barriers, and misinformation before hesitancy becomes entrenched and population-level protection is compromised. Read more from NBC News here.