Health

Cook County Is Offering Free Back-to-School Vaccinations. Here’s What to Know

Students who live in suburban Cook County will have opportunities over the next few months to get free vaccinations for the upcoming school year, the Cook County Department of Public Health announced Wednesday.

Vaccines for those ages 6 months to 18 years old will be provided at no cost, regardless of immigration or insurance status.

Mobile vaccination clinics will be held at community events and back-to-school fairs throughout suburban Cook County, starting this Saturday through mid-October. Clinics are currently scheduled in South Holland, Cicero, Dolton, Worth, Norridge, Park Forest and Rolling Meadows. Registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. 

For a list of upcoming vaccination clinics and available vaccines, visit CCDPH’s website.

Flu and COVID-19 shots usually become available around late September/October, according to a CCDPH spokesperson. More information on flu and COVID-19 clinics will be available in the fall.

Over the past decade, the number of students not protected against vaccine-preventable diseases has almost doubled, according to the health department, from an average of 6,408 school children in the 2014-2015 school year to 11,978 in the 2025-2026 school year.

Last school year, vaccination rates slightly increased for the first time in more than a decade against chickenpox, DTP, measles, mumps, polio and rubella among school children in suburban Cook County, according to CCDPH.

“The modest increase in vaccination rates across suburban Cook County during the past school year is encouraging, but the number of unvaccinated students remains high,” CCDPH Chief Operating Officer Dr. Kiran Joshi said in a statement.

The proportion of unvaccinated students is higher in private schools compared to public schools, according to the health department. Vaccination rates in private schools are on the decline while religious exemptions continue to rise, the department added.

A 95% vaccination coverage level is essential to sustain herd immunity against many highly contagious diseases, according to CCDPH. According to the department, vaccination rates for K-12 schools in suburban Cook County during the 2025-2026 school year were:

• 96.71% (up .11%) for chickenpox
• 97.02% (up .01%) for DTP
• 97% (up .03%) for measles
• 97% (up .03%) for mumps
• 96.91% (up .07%) for polio
• 97% (up .02%) for rubella

“The more that children and teens are vaccinated, the better protected our entire community will be against vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks,” Joshi said in a statement.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]

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