Children's Hospital Colorado

Infectious Disease Specialist Explains Whooping Cough Prevalence in Colorado

7News | noviembre 22, 2016

Two children were recently diagnosed with pertussis at a well-known daycare in Denver, highlighting a concern for many parents in Colorado -- where vaccination rates are among the lowest in the country.

Dr. Christiana Smith, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Children's Hospital Colorado, told 7News that while two cases at a daycare are not out of the ordinary, they should be taken very seriously.

"The vaccine is not perfect, and you can still get pertussis, even after you’ve been immunized," said Smith. "But immunization decreases the chances of getting pertussis by a pretty significant percent, and it can lessen the severity of the symptoms. It’s the best thing that you can do to prevent getting infected."

See the full story on 7News, and learn why this is especially concerning in Colorado, which ranks 45th out of 50 states for childhood immunizations.