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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 6, 2015 01:58 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Peter Schweyer |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Resolution Recognizing April 18-25, 2015, as “National Infant Immunization Week” |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce a resolution recognizing the week of April 18-25, 2015, as “National Infant Immunization Week” in the Commonwealth. Immunizations during the first two years of life protect infants and children when they are most vulnerable and before they are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. Vaccinations for 14 serious childhood diseases, including diphtheria, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, tetanus and varicella (chickenpox), provide immunity early in life and are one of the best ways parents can protect their children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, routine childhood immunizations prevent approximately 20 million cases of infectious disease and approximately 42,000 deaths, saving $13.5 billion in direct costs. Due to advancements in the science of immunization, many communities and parents in the United States have never witnessed the impacts these diseases have on children and their families. The United States continues to have immunization rates that are at or near record high levels. Nevertheless, outbreaks still do occur in this country and many vaccine-preventable diseases are prevalent internationally. In 2014, twenty-seven states experienced a record high – 644 – of measles cases linked to an amusement park in California, which is the greatest number of cases since measles was declared eradicated in 2000. The outbreaks can be attributed to groups of unvaccinated individuals and travelers bringing the disease into the country. So far this year, seventeen states have logged an additional 170 cases of the disease. Please join me in co-sponsoring this resolution that recognizes the importance of immunization of infants and children and highlights the milestones of immunization programs in our communities. |
Introduced as HR187