Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials reminded parents and guardians last week to make certain their children have had all the immunizations required for their age group before they are enrolled in preschool or school. In January 2007, the department’s Board of Health approved three additional vaccine requirements for children in child care and school settings.  The three vaccines are for pneumococcal disease, a second dose for chickenpox, and for tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (Tdap) - which is different from the already required DTaP (diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis).

Joni Reynolds, program manager for the Colorado Immunization Program at the department said, “Pertussis, also called whooping cough, is a highly contagious cough illness that can easily be spread from one child to another.  It is critical we protect infants from pertussis.  Many infected adolescents and adults may be the primary carriers of this

disease to infants and other children, where the illness is much more serious, even life threatening.”

“The Tdap vaccine provides good protection against pertussis and can help reduce the spread of this disease,” added Reynolds.  “Teens need a booster dose of pertussis vaccine (Tdap) to provide protection against whooping cough.  Young children also receive pertussis vaccine (DTaP) but the protection begins to wane over time and most teens are now susceptible to pertussis. This new vaccine will boost their antibodies and provide new protection for the teens.”

Gov. Bill Ritter’s administration has made it a priority of his administration to increase the rate of childhood immunizations in Colorado.  The goal is having 80 percent or more of the state’s children immunized by 2008.

“Individuals who do not have health insurance and who want to have their children immunized can call the Colorado Helpline at 1-877-462-2911 to obtain a list of public health clinics offering free and low-cost immunizations,” he said.

The Web site, www.immunizecoloradoskids.com, provides clinic locations and other information that parents can download and take with them to their doctor’s office. A schedule is provided to help track a child’s immunizations. The site was created as part of Colorado’s immunization marketing campaign, “Immunize Colorado’s Kids.Protect the Ones You Love.”

It is recommended that Colorado children have immunizations to protect them from these childhood diseases by the time they enter kindergarten or first grade: diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis or whooping cough (DTaP); haemophilus influenzae type b (HIB); hepatitis A; ...