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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 2, 2015 12:02 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Michael H. Schlossberg |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | World Immunization Awareness Week 2015: April 24-30 |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation recognizing the week of April 24 through 30, 2015 as “World Immunization Awareness Week” in Pennsylvania. This resolution was introduced in 2014 as HR 803. It was unanimously adopted. Vaccines are among the 20th century’s most successful and cost-effective public health tools available for preventing disease and death in our communities. They prevent between 2 and 3 million deaths every year and now protect children not only against diseases for which vaccines have been available for many years, such as diphtheria, tetanus, polio and measles, but also against diseases such as pneumonia and rotavirus diarrhea, two of the biggest global killers of children under 5 years of age. Furthermore, adolescents and adults can now be protected against life-threatening diseases such as influenza, meningitis and cancers (cervical and liver cancers), thanks to new and sophisticated vaccines. Despite these facts, worldwide, infectious diseases continue to be the leading cause of death of children and adolescents, and one of the leading causes in adults. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 21.8 million children worldwide are still not being immunized with basic vaccines. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 42,000 adults and 300 children die annually in the United States from vaccine-preventable diseases. In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of immunization around the world, several global organizations have joined together and declared the week of April 24-30, 2015, as “World Immunization Week,” in which countries across the globe mobilize for a week of vaccination campaigns and public education about the value of immunization. This year’s campaign highlights the effort to “close the immunization gap” and increase awareness and demand for immunizations in communities. Please join me in recognizing the week of April 24-30, 2015, as “World Immunization Week” in Pennsylvania by co-sponsoring this resolution as we continue to support the efforts, programs, services and organizations that work across the globe to enhance public awareness of the importance of immunization. The following members were co-sponsors of HR 803: READSHAW, BIZZARRO, MACKENZIE, McNEILL, CALTAGIRONE, J. HARRIS, BISHOP, NEILSON, MILLARD, McGEEHAN, PASHINSKI, LUCAS, V. BROWN, O'BRIEN, HARHART, YOUNGBLOOD, ROSS, MATZIE, MURT, BAKER, DiGIROLAMO, HEFFLEY, FRANKEL, McCARTER, MOLCHANY, W. KELLER, ENGLISH, SCHREIBER, THOMAS, KAVULICH, SAMUELSON, KORTZ, BROWNLEE, CLAY, D. COSTA, FABRIZIO, KIM, FLECK, MILNE, BRADFORD, FARINA, PARKER, ROEBUCK, DONATUCCI, MAJOR, MAHONEY and CLYMER |
Introduced as HR229