Support Federal Legislation to Prevent Disease Outbreaks
Aug 07, 2019
In 2019, the U.S. has seen a startling rise in the number of vaccine-preventable diseases reported. Thirty states have reported nearly 1,200 cases of measles – the highest number since 1992. Outbreaks of hepatitis A, whooping cough and mumps have also occurred as well as an increase in the number of hepatitis B cases. Influenza also took the lives of too many people during the winter and spring, including 126 children, as well as hospitalizing thousands.
Thankfully, Members of Congress are taking action.
Republicans and Democrats – in both the House and the Senate – are working together to sponsor legislation to improve vaccination rates in this country.
In the House, the VACCINES Act of 2019 (H.R. 2862) would authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to:
- Develop a national system for surveillance of vaccination rates
- Conduct research on vaccine hesitancy and update the 2015 National Vaccine Advisory Committee report on vaccine confidence
- Provide grants to increase public understanding of the benefits of immunizations
In the Senate, similar language has been added to the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 (S. 1895). This bill would authorize CDC to distribute grants to carry out a national, evidence-based campaign to:
- Increase awareness of vaccines
- Combat misinformation
- Disseminate scientific and evidence-based vaccine-related information
This is an important first step in helping states get the resources they need to stop vaccine-preventable diseases before they happen.
In order to get these bills passed, we need your help! Members of Congress need to know that the people they represent support this legislation.
Please reach out to your Members of Congress today!
Vaccinate Your Family has created two pages – one for Representatives and one for Senators – that will make it easy for you to contact your federal representatives and let them know you support H.R. 2862 and S. 1895.
Also sign up for our immunization alerts to get the last information on these bills and other happenings in the vaccine world as well as links to posts on the Shot of Prevention blog on this topic.
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