In 2014, Colorado ranked 25th among U.S. states for childhood immunizations, with over 25.7 percent of children under-immunized at 36 months of age and 460 Colorado children hospitalized with vaccine-preventable diseases resulting in $20.6 million in hospital charges. That’s according to an independent report released by the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition (CCIC) and Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado). The report, Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Colorado’s Children, also finds that vaccines have proven to be safe and effective in Colorado. In 2014, vaccination prevented more than 8,600 hospitalizations and over $400 million in hospitalization charges among children in Colorado.

Prepared annually by James Gaensbauer, MD, Carl Armon, PhD, and James Todd, MD, from the Department of Epidemiology at Children’s Hospital Colorado, the report provides an analysis of the state of health of Colorado’s children based on the most recent National Immunization Survey (NIS), Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) inpatient data and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) data. The report examines vaccination rates, hospitalizations, costs and savings associated with vaccine-preventable disease in children. Findings show that there are significant gaps in vaccinating Colorado’s children, despite overwhelming evidence that vaccines are safe and effective.