Messages urge families to protect their children from whooping cough
Beginning today, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will send text messages and email notifications to families of more than 110,000 children ages 11-14 years whose records in the Colorado Immunization Information System indicate they may be overdue for a tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine.
The text messages will come from 45778 and read:
From CDPHE: According to our records, your child/children (11-14 yrs) may be overdue for their tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine. Tdap protects against whooping cough, which spreads easily in schools. The cough can last 10+ weeks and make it hard to breathe, eat, or sleep. Protection fades over time, making this Tdap booster important for your child.
Starting with the 2026-27 school year, Colorado law requires Tdap before 7th grade. Beat the rush and schedule a visit now to check this off your to-do list and start the next school year with peace of mind.
Watch: youtube.com/watch?v=axU0ujeKIo8
Find a vaccine provider near you: cdphe.colorado.gov/immunizations/get-vaccinated
You can exempt your child/children from school-required vaccines. For more info, visit cdphe.colorado.gov/vaccine-exemptions.
Emails will come from cdphe.vaccine.registry@state.co.us and read:
According to state public health records, your child/children aged 11 to 14 years may be overdue for their tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine. The Tdap vaccine provides protection against pertussis, or whooping cough, one of the most common vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S.
While most children receive their initial vaccine series as infants, the protection begins to fade over time. This makes the Tdap booster essential to renewing immunity and staying protected through the high school years.
Whooping cough is very contagious and spreads quickly in schools and social settings. Whooping cough makes people cough uncontrollably. As people try to catch their breath in between coughs, it causes a “whooping” sound, which is why it is known as whooping cough. The cough from whooping cough can last for more than 10 weeks and makes it hard to breathe, eat, drink, and sleep.
To see why many Colorado parents choose to vaccinate their children, watch this brief video: youtube.com/watch?v=axU0ujeKIo8
Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, Colorado law requires students to receive a dose of Tdap vaccine before their first day of seventh grade. Beat the rush by scheduling a visit now. Contact a vaccine provider to make an appointment.
If your child is already up to date with their vaccines, please complete this secure Google form and attach a copy of their vaccine record. We will update their record in the Colorado Immunization Information System and notify you by email once it is done.
You can exempt your child/children from school-required vaccines. For more information, visit cdphe.colorado.gov/vaccine-exemptions.
You can access the immunization record for yourself or your child from the online Colorado Immunization Information System self-serve portal. For more information, including step-by-step directions on how to use the portal, visit cdphe.colorado.gov/immunization/for-the-public/get-a-copy-of-your-records.
Most health insurance plans, including Medicaid and CHP+, cover the cost of routine childhood vaccines, so you don’t have to pay anything at providers that accept your health plan. Even if you don’t have any health insurance, you can get recommended vaccines for free at one of nearly 600 vaccine providers statewide.
