In 2022, there were over $6 billion in healthcare charges to treat vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) like measles, flu, COVID-19, and whooping cough in Colorado adults and children. The same year, there were over 338,000 hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits for VPDs. This data comes from a report released by Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado).
The Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD) Report shows that in 2022, over 282,000 Colorado adults and 56,000 Colorado children were hospitalized or visited an ED with a VPD. Most adult hospitalizations were due to COVID-19, followed by influenza, pneumococcal disease, and varicella; most hospitalizations in children were due to COVID-19, followed by influenza and pneumococcal disease. The report also lists Long COVID as a reason for hospitalization and ED visits, with nearly 700 children and nearly 15,000 adults being hospitalized or visiting and emergency department with the illness.
The VPD Report, prepared by researchers in the Department of Epidemiology at Children’s Colorado, examines CDC National Immunization Survey data and 2022 Colorado Hospital Association inpatient and emergency department data to determine the health and economic burdens resulting from VPDs in Colorado.