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Div. of Media Relations
1600 Clifton Road
MS D-14
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404) 639-3286
Fax (404) 639-7394 |
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Press Release
For Immediate Release
April 22, 2005 |
Contact: CDC Office of
Communication Curtis Allen, 404-353-6558 |
National Infant Immunization Week
Urges Parents to Vaccinate
Annual Observance Enters 2nd Decade
The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will launch the second decade of
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) with events beginning April 24 and
continuing through April 30, 2005. Immunization has been cited as one of the
ten great public health achievements of the 20th century.
For the second year, CDC will partner with the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission (USMBHC)
and more than 35 other nations for Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) in
order to reach out to parents, caregivers, health care providers, and
communities throughout the Western Hemisphere to highlight the need for
routine infant vaccinations.
“We can now protect children from more vaccine preventable diseases than
ever before,” said Dr. Stephen L. Cochi, Acting Director of the National
Immunization Program for CDC. “Millions of children have been vaccinated,
and millions of cases of disease, disability and death have been prevented.”
Recently, several important milestones have been reached in controlling
vaccine-preventable diseases among infants and adults worldwide:
- July 2004: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced
that the nation's childhood immunization rates are at record high levels. [www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040729.html]
- March 2005: CDC announced that rubella is no longer a major health
threat to expectant mothers and their unborn children, thanks to a safe and
effective vaccine, high vaccine coverage, and parents’ confidence in the
vaccination recommendation. [www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/r050321.htm]
- April 2005: marks the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the polio
vaccine. “Safe, effective, and potent.” On April 12, 1955, Dr. Thomas
Francis Jr., director of the Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Center at the
University of Michigan, School of Public Health, announced to the world
that the Salk polio vaccine was up to 90% effective in preventing paralytic
polio.
[www.cdc.gov/nip/events/polio-vacc-50th/]
Every day, 11,000 babies are born in the United States who will need to be
immunized against 12 diseases before age two. Despite recent gains in infant
immunization coverage, more than 20% of the nation’s two-year-olds do not
get fully immunized against infectious diseases to which they are especially
vulnerable.
“A substantial number of children in the United States still aren't
adequately protected from vaccine-preventable diseases," said Dr. Cochi.
"The suffering or death of even one individual from a vaccine-preventable
disease is an unnecessary human tragedy. Let us renew our efforts to ensure
that no child, adolescent or adult will have to needlessly suffer from a
vaccine-preventable disease."
More than 500 NIIW events across the United States to promote and provide
infant vaccinations will reflect this year’s NIIW theme “Love them.
Protect them. Immunize them.”
To support NIIW, DHHS and CDC produced two 30-second English and
Spanish-language PSAs titled “Love them. Protect them. Immunize them."
The PSAs stress the importance of immunizing and protecting children ages
two and younger from vaccine-preventable diseases. Each PSA features parents
sharing their experiences about barriers to vaccinating their infants and
how they overcame these obstacles. The PSAs, set to begin airing during NIIW,
will be sent via satellite to major markets throughout the United States and
are intended to be broadcast through April 2006.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ mission is to protect health
and give a special helping hand to those who need assistance. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention protects people’s health and safety by
preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions
by providing creditable information on critical health issues; and promotes
healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and
international organizations. For more information please visit
www.cdc.gov/nip or call1- 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636).
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