Colorado Launches Independent Vaccine Promotion Campaign as Federal Government Pulls Back
Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a law allowing state health officials to follow national medical groups' recommendations after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s CDC panelists removed six pediatric immunizations from federal recommendations in January 2026. Colorado is one of 29 states plus D.C. bypassing new federal guidance. The state recorded over a dozen measles cases in early 2026 after 36 cases in 2025. A federal judge halted many schedule changes in March 2026.
Colorado state vaccine legislation
▪The Colorado vaccine law codifies pharmacists' ability to prescribe and give vaccines on their own.
▪Colorado state Senator Kyle Mullica co-sponsored the Colorado vaccine law and is a registered nurse.
▪Colorado is one of 29 states, plus D.C., that have taken steps to bypass new federal vaccine recommendations.
▪Colorado Republican state Senator John Carson voted against the Colorado vaccine bill.
Colorado Chooses Vaccines coalition
▪Elizabet Garcia, a public relations specialist and Colorado Chooses Vaccines member, wants more outreach to Latinos whose vaccination rates lag behind other groups.
▪Colorado Chooses Vaccines formed in fall 2025 in direct response to federal threats to vaccine policy.
▪Susan Lontine is a former Colorado state lawmaker and leads Immunize Colorado.
Carol Boigon polio survivor story
▪Polio vaccines became more widely available to the general population in 1954, one year after Carol Boigon contracted the disease.
▪Carol Boigon is a former Denver City Council member who joined Colorado Chooses Vaccines to publicly share her story about being hospitalized with polio.
▪Carol Boigon was 5 years old when she contracted polio during the summer of 1953 in Detroit.
▪U.S. cases of polio dropped by 85% to 90% as vaccination took off after 1954.
Preventable disease outbreaks
▪One child in Colorado died from COVID-19 during the 2025-2026 season.
▪Colorado recorded more than a dozen measles cases in the first few months of 2026.
▪Colorado had 36 measles cases in 2025, far surpassing totals from previous years.
▪Kindergarten vaccination rates for measles in Colorado are 88 percent, with only a few counties achieving rates at or above 95%.
▪Eight children in Colorado died from flu during the 2025-2026 season.
Federal vaccine policy changes
▪The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of the World Health Organization.
▪Several states, including Colorado, decided to join the WHO's Global Outbreak and Response Network on their own after the U.S. withdrew from the WHO.
▪In January 2026, CDC advisory panelists selected by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. removed six pediatric immunizations from the CDC's universal recommendation list.
▪In March 2026, a federal judge put on hold many of the changes to the recommended schedule for childhood vaccinations.
Perspective of Colorado Chooses Vaccines coalition
▪Colorado Chooses Vaccines formed in fall 2025 in direct response to federal threats to vaccine policy.
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