2026 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Reports

In 2024, there were over $4.4 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 163,000 hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits for VPDs. This data comes from a report released by Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) in January 2026.

The 2026 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD) Report shows that in 2024, over 136,000 Colorado adults and 27,000 Colorado children were hospitalized or visited an ED with a VPD. Most adult hospitalizations were due to COVID-19, influenza (flu) and HPV; most hospitalizations in children were due to RSV, COVID-19, and flu. Vaccination rates for young children continue to lag, with only 66% of Colorado kids born in 2021 having received the recommended 7 vaccine series by 24 months of age. This means 1 in 3 young Colorado kids are missing vaccines. Among all 50 states in the U.S., Colorado ranks 37th for number of 3-year-olds fully vaccinated.

Children’s Colorado also released a supplemental Measles VPD Report in March 2026. The March report highlighted the resurgence of measles seen throughout the U.S. in 2025, with 1950 total cases (the most since 1991), including 36 cases and five hospitalizations Colorado. Three people died from measles in 2025—slightly more than would be expected according to measles’ death rate of roughly 1 in 1,000. The report also highlights Colorado’s low MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) kindergarten vaccination rate of 88%—ranking the state 45th for measles vaccination coverage—and demonstrates the potential for outbreaks in simulated models of schools with different vaccination rates and student populations.

The VPD Report, prepared annually by researchers in the Department of Epidemiology at Children’s Colorado, examines CDC National Immunization Survey data and Colorado Hospital Association inpatient and emergency department data to determine the health and economic burdens resulting from VPDs in Colorado.