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Colorado sees increase in whooping cough cases after dropping to pandemic-era lows

Denver7 · · 400 words · By Sophia Villalba
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What to know about Colorado sees increase in whooping cough cases after dropping to pandemic-era lows

DENVER — Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is making a comeback in Colorado after dropping to pandemic-era lows.

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

DENVER — Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is making a comeback in Colorado after dropping to pandemic-era lows.

Why it matters

State health officials said more than 930 cases were reported each year in 2024 and 2025.

Common ground

“The 2025 data is preliminary, so final 2025 case counts may change,” a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.denver7.com/lifestyle/health/colorado-sees-increase-in-whooping-coug…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 3
verified Verified By Reference 2
check_circle Corroborated 2
info
Claim 1: “CDPHE said about two-thirds of the state's whooping cough cases involve people under 18.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that two-thirds of cases involve people under 18 is explicitly stated in one web search result from May 31, 2026. No other independent sources provide this specific statistic.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colorado is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, and part of the Southwestern United States, sharing the Four Corners regio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colorado Springs is a home rule city that is the county seat of and the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02%…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs,_Colorado
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Park is a grassland flat within the basin formed by the Rocky Mountains' Mosquito and Rampart Mountain Ranges within central Colorado. This high valley ranges in elevation from approximately 9,0…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Park_(Park_County,_Color…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 2: “She said local cases have increased by more than 600% since 2006.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
No evidence in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries mentions a 600% increase in whooping cough cases in Lakewood since 2006.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Chevrolet Corvair is a rear-engined, air-cooled compact car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet over two generations from the 1960 through 1969 model years. The Corvair was a response to the in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvair
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On April 20, 1999, high school senior students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 13 students and one teacher in a school shooting and attempted bombing at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Frederick J. Bancroft (May 25, 1834 – January 17, 1903) was a surgeon during the American Civil War before he settled in Colorado, where he was considered to be "one of the most prominent physicians",…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_J._Bancroft
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 3: “73% of the reported cases in 2025 were vaccinated people.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of Visual Studio Code release notes and contains no information regarding whooping cough vaccination statistics in Colorado.
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web search NEUTRAL — Learn what is new in the Visual Studio Code October 2022 Release (1.73)
https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_73
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web search NEUTRAL — July 2022 (version 1.70) Update 1.70.1: The update addresses these issues. Update 1.70.2: The update addresses these issues. Update 1.70.3: This update is only available for Windows 7 users and is the…
https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_70
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web search NEUTRAL — Browse all Visual Studio Code release notes by year.
https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/archive
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Claim 4: “State health officials said school vaccination rates have declined since the pandemic.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results from June 2026 explicitly mention the decline in vaccination rates for DTaP and Tdap since the pandemic, and a 2025 health assessment notes youth rates have been decreasing.
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web search NEUTRAL — The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the world, causing tens of millions of deaths. , overwhelming healthcare systems, and disrupting societies and economies. The rapid spread of the cor…
https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus
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web search NEUTRAL — The virus is still with us, though humanity has built up immunity through vaccinations and infections. It's less deadly than it was in the pandemic's early days and it no longer tops the list of leadi…
https://www.nine.com.au/world-news/covid-19-what-we-know-and…
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web search NEUTRAL — The U.S. shipment will be used to vaccinate anyone over 18 in four cities along the U.S. border: Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Juárez and Reynosa. Mexico has said the goal is to boost vaccination rates th…
https://abc11.com/nc-covid-19-vaccine-downtown-raleigh-perma…
verified
Claim 5: “Dr. Harris has been a pediatrician in Lakewood for nearly three decades.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While a Yelp result confirms Dr. Stephanie Harris is a pediatrician in Lakewood, there is no evidence provided regarding the duration of her practice (nearly three decades).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the thirty-eight U.S. representatives from the State of Texas, one from each of the state'…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Re…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Long Beach City College (LBCC) is a public community college in Long Beach, California, United States. It was established in 1927 and is divided into two campuses, the Liberal Arts Campus (LAC) in Lak…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Beach_City_College
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pinellas County Schools is the public school district serving Pinellas County, Florida. The district is based in Largo. With over 104,000 students served in more than 140 schools and centers, the dist…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinellas_County_Schools
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 6: “State health officials said more than 930 cases were reported each year in 2024 and 2025.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific figure of 'more than 930 cases' for 2024 and 2025 is found in one web search result. Other results mention different numbers (e.g., 655 in 2024), but do not corroborate the '930 each year' claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Colorado's 4th congressional district special election was held on June 25, 2024, to fill the vacant seat in Colorado's 4th congressional district. The winner served in the United States Hous…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Colorado's_4th_congressio…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 United States presidential election in Colorado took place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, as part of the 2024 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_presidentia…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Crested Butte is a home rule town located in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,639 at the 2020 United States census. A former coal mining town nestled in the Slate Ri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_Butte,_Colorado
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: ““Based on school and childcare data for 2024-2025, vaccination rates for DTaP and Tdap have decreased by 2.9% and 3.3%, respectively, since the 2019-2020 school year,” CDPHE said.”
CORROBORATED
The exact quote regarding the 2.9% and 3.3% decrease in DTaP and Tdap vaccination rates is found in two independent web search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 31, 2026 ... “Based on school and childcare data for 2024-2025, vaccination rates for DTaP and Tdap have decreased by 2.9% and 3.3%, respectively, since ...
https://www.denver7.com/lifestyle/health/colorado-sees-incre…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... “Based on school and childcare data for 2024-2025, vaccination rates for DTaP and Tdap have decreased by 2.9% and 3.3%, respectively, since ...
https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1ttphef/colorado_sees…
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 7, 2025 ... Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccination. IPV ... this use is among those 18 and older as youth rates have been decreasing.
https://summitcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SC…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.