Cook County Offers Free Back-to-School Vaccinations

Cook County Public Health Department sent this bulletin at 07/15/2026 02:02 PM CDT

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Back-to-school vaccinations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

07/15/26
Media Contact: Yolanda Harris 
Email: ccdphmedia@cookcountyhhs.org

Cook County Public Health Offers Back-to-School Vaccinations at Suburban Cook County Community Events
Number of unvaccinated Suburban Cook County students has doubled over the past decade, highlighting the urgency around vaccination and making vaccines accessible to all.   

SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY, IL - Parents can get their children vaccinated for the upcoming school year, right on time for National Immunization Awareness Month in August.  

Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) is providing back-to-school immunizations at no cost for the 2026-27 school year to children ages 6 months to 18 years old, regardless of immigration or insurance status, now through mid-October.  

The mobile vaccination clinics will occur at community events and back-to-school fairs held throughout suburban Cook County, starting on Saturday, July 18, Noon to 5 p.m. at the Taste of Thornton Township, 15800 S. State St., in South Holland, Ill.  Additional clinics are scheduled in Dolton, Cicero, Worth, Park Forest, Norridge and Rolling Meadows. Organizations in suburban Cook County can also request a mobile vaccination clinic for their upcoming event by filling out this form: https://tinyurl.com/requestvaccinationclinic. 

Students in Illinois are required to have proof of immunization, or have a valid medical or religious exemption, by Oct. 15 each year. 

 

Vaccination Trends:

Over the past 10 years, the number of students who are not protected against vaccine-preventable diseases has almost doubled, from an average (across vaccines) of 6,408 school children in the 2014-2015 school year to 11,978 in the 2025-2026 school year.   

The proportion of unvaccinated students is higher in private schools compared to public schools, and vaccination rates in private schools are declining while religious exemptions continue to rise.  

For the first time in more than a decade, this past school year (2025-2026), vaccination rates slightly increased against chickenpox, DTP, measles, mumps, polio and rubella among school children in suburban Cook County.