Starting Monday, Sept. 30, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) will send text and email reminders to more than 880,000 Coloradans.
CDPHE will send reminders to Coloradans aged 65 and older, whose records in the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) show they may be due for their annual flu vaccine.
The text message will come from 45778, while the emails will come from cdphe.vaccine.registry@state.co.us.
Now is the time to get vaccinated against respiratory viruses like the flu and COVID-19.
Vaccines are available by appointment at pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS, and at your doctor’s office.
Garfield County Public Health is also offering walk-in clinics for both shots in Glenwood Springs every Wednesday in October, and in Rifle on every Thursday. Those clinics will also be open on the first two Wednesdays of November in Glenwood, and the first two Thursdays of November in Rifle.
Carrie Godes with Garfield County Public Health said it’s also a good time to get your kids caught up on their regular vaccine schedule, like measles and whooping cough, if they fell behind during COVID.
When you think about vaccines, you might think about young children and babies. While immunizations are certainly important for ensuring young children get a healthy start, they’re also essential throughout the lifespan. Today we turn our focus to teens – a group with their own unique immunization needs and considerations. During adolescence, immunity from some childhood vaccines begins to decrease. Risk for exposure to certain diseases also increases during this stage of life. In short, teens need vaccines, too! So what exactly are the diseases teens need to be vaccinated against and why?
Infants and young children receive 5 doses of the DTaP vaccine starting at 2 months of age. This protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Around age 11, immunity to these diseases begins to decrease, so kids this age will need to receive the Tdap vaccine. This vaccine protects older children and adults from the same diseases:
A booster dose of Tdap is necessary every ten years to maintain protection, and those who are pregnant should get the vaccine at 27-36 weeks during every pregnancy. Colorado law requires all students to receive the Tdap vaccine prior to entry into 6th grade.
The HPV vaccine is recommended starting at ages 11-12 and can be given as early as age 9. If the first dose of the vaccine is given before age 15, only 2 doses are required. Those who get the first dose after age 15 need 3 doses. HPV is a virus that is spread through intimate skin-to skin contact, including sexual activity. It can cause cervical, genital, anal, and oral cancers, as well as genital warts. The HPV vaccine protects against the 9 types of HPV that cause the most HPV cancers. It is recommended starting at such a young age because that is when the body builds the most robust immunity against the virus. It is also important to give the vaccine before there’s a chance for exposure to the virus. The vaccine won’t work as effectively if it’s given after an HPV infection, so early prevention is key.
An even more compelling reason to get the HPV vaccine is that HPV is extremely common – so common that nearly everyone will contract HPV at some point in their lives if they are not vaccinated. It’s best to get the HPV vaccine before being exposed to the virus, though there are still some benefits to getting it after. There is no treatment for HPV infection. You can spread it even if you don’t have symptoms. Most infections will clear up on their own, but others do not and can result in genital warts and cancer later in life. You can learn more about the HPV and the HPV vaccine at HPVFreeCO.org and at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Vaccine Education Center.
Meningococcal disease is a leading cause of meningitis, which is inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. Meningococcal disease can cause severe blood infection, or sepsis. It is caused mainly by the A, B, C, W, and Y types of meningococcal bacteria. Meningococcal disease is spread through respiratory drops when an infected person coughs, sneezes, shares drinks, or kisses another person. The disease also spreads through close contact, so those living in dorm-like settings are at higher risk. While the disease is rare, it is very serious and can become deadly within hours, which is why vaccination is so important.
The MenACWY vaccine, which protects against the A, C, W, and Y strains of meningococcal bacteria, is recommended at age 11 or 12, and a booster should be given at 16-18 years. The MenB vaccine, which protects against the B strain of meningococcal bacteria, is another vaccine that should be considered at ages 16-18. The MenABCWY vaccine is an additional option that protects against all 5 bacteria strains. Depending on your child’s age and previous meningitis immunizations, their provider may offer this vaccine. You can learn more about meningococcal disease prevention from the American Society for Meningitis Prevention.
Respiratory diseases like flu and COVID-19 can be severe at any age – even in healthy children and teens. We simply don’t know who will end up with mild illness or who will become so ill they’ll need to be hospitalized, or worse. Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Current guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination are similar: regardless of vaccination history, everyone 6 months and older should get the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine to stay protected against the latest circulating disease variants. Often when the topic of COVID-19 and teens comes up, we hear talk of myocarditis. The most important thing you need to know about COVID-19 and myocarditis is that there is a much greater risk of getting it from a COVID-19 infection than from vaccination. While you can still get sick with flu and COVID-19 after vaccination, infections are generally shorter and much milder if you’ve been vaccinated than if you hadn’t.
Vaccines are one of the best tools we have to keep us safe at any age. When teens are up to date with recommended immunizations, they’ll have the protection they need to face the rites of passage that come with adolescence and stay healthy into adulthood. That, and parents and caregivers can have one fewer worry! If you have questions about vaccines for your teen, visit Immunize For Good or talk to your family’s medical provider.
Immunize Colorado was formed in 1991 in response to alarmingly low vaccination rates across the state. At the time, only about 50% of Colorado’s children were adequately vaccinated. A group of physicians and other concerned individuals came together to strategize how to protect Coloradans from vaccine-preventable diseases and increase vaccine uptake. Much work remains. Discover ways to support our commitment to healthy Colorado communities at our website or make a donation today!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health advisory recommending that select travelers to countries where a certain strain of mpox is endemic should be fully vaccinated prior to going
While the agency has already been advising vaccination for those travelling to countries where clade I mpox is endemic, the CDC’s guidance this issued week specifically advises that people who “anticipate certain sexual exposures” while in those countries should be fully vaccinated with two doses of the Jynneos smallpox vaccine.
Denver Public Schools has kicked off a free vaccination campaign this school year — one that uses staff who speak the languages and are familiar with the cultures of the students they serve.
The campaign began this month, Hispanic Heritage Month, targeting schools, some of them with fewer than 60 percent of children vaccinated. Colorado as a whole ranks 34th in the nation for children 35 months of age who’ve completed recommended vaccines.
The program — called One School, One Vaccine at a Time — works closely with school districts and providers to address vaccine hesitancy and ensure access to routine childhood immunizations. The partnership includes the district, State Department of Public Health and the Environment, and Julissa Soto, the CEO of Latino Health Equity Consulting.
A new COVID variant is spreading rapidly and could soon become the dominant variant around the globe. The variant, called XEC, was first detected in Germany in August and appears to have a growth advantage over other circulating variants – but it is not a radically different variant.
XEC is what’s known as a “recombinant variant”. Recombinants can occur naturally when a person is simultaneously infected with two different COVID variants.
XEC is the product of a recombination (exchanged pieces of genetic material between two variants) between the KS.1.1 variant and the KP.3.3 variant. These two parent variants are closely related, having both evolved from JN.1, which was the dominant variant around the world at the start of 2024.
The number of whooping cough cases have more than quadrupled in the U.S. since last year, according to data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
Infectious diseases experts attribute the surge in cases of whooping cough — also known as pertussis — to a dip in vaccination rates that began during the pandemic.
“Children during COVID did not see their health care providers and they may have done some telemedicine, but we can’t vaccinate through the computer,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “And we haven’t gotten everyone caught up yet back to their routine vaccination levels.”
Updated COVID-19 vaccines are now available, but they’re no longer free of charge for people without insurance.
Most people with private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid can still get the vaccine without having to pay out-of-pocket. For those without insurance at all or without coverage for the vaccine, Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID shot could cost $200 at a pharmacy.
“It’s a lot more challenging now,” Adriane Casalotti, MPH, chief of government and public affairs of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told Verywell. “The vaccine has gone back into the traditional healthcare system, which can be difficult to access for people without insurance or who are underinsured.”
Vaccines are one of the most life-saving medical interventions ever created, yet many Americans struggle to stay up to date with their shots every year. Fewer than half of the country’s adults got a flu shot last season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and fewer than a quarter got the most recent COVID-19 vaccine.
Experts who spoke with PBS News say regular vaccination is one of the most important ways to protect yourself against respiratory diseases, including COVID, flu and RSV. Here’s what to know about the vaccinations they recommend adults and children prioritize getting this fall.
While the coronavirus pandemic saw a massive push for vaccinations nationwide, not all states are equal in their general vaccination levels.
While vaccinations prevent the spread of diseases like polio, measles and chickenpox, some Americans choose not to vaccinate due to health concerns, side effects or skepticism in the vaccine itself. In other cases, accessibility issues prevent Americans from getting vaccinated.
In a new report from WalletHub, the following states saw the lowest rates of vaccinations for general diseases: Mississippi, Alaska, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas.
