Custer County public-health staff report rise in vaccinations, review local outbreaks and preparedness plans

Custer County Public Health staff reported to the Board of Health on May 22, 2025, that the department is tracking several communicable-disease items including a small cluster of pneumococcal pneumonia in schoolchildren, ongoing measles activity statewide, the newly detected Aedes aegypti mosquito in western Colorado and a continued rise in routine vaccinations locally.

The update, delivered to the Board of Health by public health staff, summarized why the items matter to local residents and listed near-term public‑facing steps such as continued outreach, vaccination offers and an upcoming Red Cross shelter training on June 25.

Public health staff said four school‑aged children were diagnosed with Streptococcus pneumoniae in April; all received antibiotics and one required oxygen for several days but none were hospitalized. "We had, back in April, 4 cases of pneumonia from school aged children. So all ended up on antibiotics and 1 ended up on oxygen," the presenter said. Staff said the cluster was linked to a sleepover and that the department increased communication with the school nurse to monitor illness reports.

The department also described its measles awareness work in Custer County — two press releases, posters and materials distributed to the school, library, Department of Human Services and the county clerk’s office — and said there were no confirmed local measles cases. Staff noted 5 confirmed cases in Colorado and continuing exposure investigations in Pueblo and Denver; they advised residents who believe they may have been exposed…