UMVA has learned that in response to abrupt and politicized changes to federal vaccine policy, concerned Coloradans have taken several steps to shore up support for vaccine science.
A bill passed by the state legislature in March and signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis allows Colorado to further uncouple itself from federal guidance, empowering health officials to follow the recommendations of national medical groups when making decisions such as purchasing bulk vaccines for the Medicaid program.
"We are insulating our state from the dysfunction coming out of Washington," said Democratic state Sen. Kyle Mullica, a co-sponsor of the bill and a registered nurse. "We're going to rely on science."
Colorado is one of at least 29 states that have taken steps to bypass the new federal recommendations amid worries that the changes could chip away at public trust in vaccines and erode broad vaccine coverage.
Previously, Colorado, like most states, had followed federal guidance set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, in January, a development that sparked concern among health experts led to the removal of six pediatric immunizations from the agency's universal recommendation list.
Last year, doctors, scientists, local leaders, and other supporters came together to form an outreach and advocacy coalition called Colorado Chooses Vaccines, aiming to offer a clear, unified voice on the proven benefits of vaccines and reassure residents confused by the many federal changes.
Carol Boigon, a former Denver City Council member, joined the group because she wants more people to hear her own chilling story about vaccine-preventable illness. Boigon recounts her childhood in 1950s Detroit, where she contracted polio and was hospitalized for six weeks with a fever.
The illness attacked her spine, leaving her with limited mobility in her right arm. Although she regained function in her other limbs, she had to adapt, relearning everyday tasks such as reaching out to shake hands with people with her left hand.
In 1955, not long after she got sick, the new polio vaccine became more widely available to the public. As vaccinations took off, U.S. cases of polio, once one of the nation's most feared diseases, dropped by an estimated 85%-90%.
State leaders have taken other steps to promote public health. Colorado joined a multistate lawsuit challenging the federal changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and codified pharmacists' ability to prescribe and give vaccines themselves.
The new state law also increases legal protections for healthcare workers who give vaccines. However, opponents claim the legislation interferes with parental choice and argue that vaccines might be unsafe or ineffective.
Colorado and the nation have seen surges in illnesses such as flu and measles. As of mid-May, Colorado had recorded 22 measles cases this year, far surpassing totals from previous years.
Across Colorado, kindergarten vaccination rates for measles were 88% last school year, with only a few counties achieving rates of 95%, the level needed for herd immunity.
Eight children in Colorado have died this season from flu; one from covid; and one from RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. Vaccines for all three are available for children and recommended by the state's health department.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that a longtime advocate for vaccine reform has defended his decisions to overhaul the recommended schedule for childhood vaccinations, sparking controversy and concern among health experts.
"It's like we're going backwards," said Boigon. "It's like we have decided we don't want a modern life; we want to be back in the 1950s, where children are sick and dying."
