JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. – In Wyoming, we don’t go in for a flu shot. In fact, we aren’t big on most vaccinations. Outside of the big 7-Vaccine series, Wyomingites pretty much shun shots compared to other states.
According to research from WalletHub released this week, Wyoming ranks at or near the bottom in a list of “States that Vaccinate Most.” The methodology suggests we follow the norm as far as getting our school kids vaccinated for the usual stuff—polio, diphtheria, tetanus, etc—but as far as later years, teenagers and adults don’t go in much for sexually transmitted disease (HPV) or seasonal influenza shots, like, at all.
Wyoming ranked #42 in vaccinations by state—dead last in influenza vaccination rate for children 6 months to 17 years old. Adults aren’t getting their flu shots, either. The Cowboy State showed up at #47 in flu vaccination rate among adults.
Mississippi, Texas, and Florida showed up at the bottom of the list as states least likely to get immunized. Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island were at the top.
The methodology does not make it clear whether Wyomingites (and others) avoid vaccinations on religious grounds, or other beliefs that shots are harmful in some way. A minority segment of the population contends shots using a preservative compound called Thimerosal have been linked to autism and other disorders (a theory that has long been debunked by the CDC).
Research material from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest the most common reasons people avoid vaccinations are due to “religious and philosophical beliefs, freedom and individualism, misinformation about risk, and overperception of risk.”
For instance, some people still believe a flu shot might actually cause the flu despite WHO’s insistence the strain of influenza virus contained in the vaccinations are inert (dead).
Wyoming is not alone in avoiding vaccinations. The CDC estimates less than half of all Americans were vaccinated for the flu last season (2017-18).
