(CNN)I can't believe I'm writing this, but: California, you've got a heck of a lot to learn from Mississippi. Not in terms of per capita income, obesity rates or LGBT rights. It's well-known that Mississippi falls at or near the bottom of 50-state rankings for a range of social and health indicators. But there's at least one stat where the Magnolia State shines: Its vaccination rate. A staggering 99.7% of kindergartners in Mississippi are vaccinated for measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's the highest rate in the nation. In California, the rate is only 92.3%.
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John Sutter: California should boost its vaccine laws
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The state offers exemptions for religious and personal beliefs
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Sutter points to Mississippi as a better example; that state offers neither exemption
Parents in @placeholder can exempt their children from life-saving vaccines because of philosophical or religious reasons.
The result: It's easy for misinformed parents to skip vaccinations in @placeholder.