How many kindergartners are vaccinated against measles at your son’s school? How many are vaccinated against whooping cough at your daughter’s child care center?
These are the kinds of questions parents can answer quickly using a state database created by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The database lets users search vaccination and exemption rates for child care centers, schools, and colleges statewide, and look at trends over time.
State health officials say the database can help parents make informed decisions about where to send their children to school or child care.
Heather Roth, immunization branch chief for the health department, said the state’s goal is for at least 95% of students in a school to have all required vaccinations. In Colorado, kindergarten entry requires five immunizations — each administered in multiple doses. They protect against nine illnesses, including polio, measles, chicken pox, and pertussis — commonly called whooping cough.
Read more at Chalkbeat Colorado.
Chalkbeat Colorado is a nonprofit news organization covering education issues. For more, visit chalkbeat.org/co.
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