GARFIELD COUNTY, CO – A Colorado state law mandates that middle and high school students are at risk of exclusion from attending school due to inadequate Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccinations. This could affect approximately 200 Roaring Fork School District RE-1 (RFSD) students. Colorado continues to experience epidemic rates of pertussis (commonly known as whooping cough) according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. There were more than 1,100 cases of whooping cough during the first ten months of 2013. Garfield County has 26 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year, after not having any reported cases