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78S40539 MMS-D

By:  Goolsby                                                      H.R. No. 16 



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The week of April 25 through May 1, 2004, is being 
observed as National Infant Immunization Week to help ensure that 
children under the age of two receive all their vaccinations; and
	WHEREAS, Vaccines are among the most successful and 
cost-effective public health tools available for preventing 
illness and death; to be protected from serious childhood diseases, 
children need 16 to 20 doses of different vaccines, which can be 
administered over several visits to a doctor before their second 
birthday; diseases targeted by these vaccines include measles, 
mumps, rubella, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough; and
	WHEREAS, Since its establishment as a project of the 
Community Council in 1995, the Immunize Kids! Dallas Area 
Partnership has coordinated the observance of National Infant 
Immunization Week in Dallas County; this admirable program seeks to 
raise the awareness of families about the importance of securing 
immunizations for their children on a timely basis and helps 
families to overcome barriers to following through on an 
immunization schedule; as part of its campaign, Immunize Kids! 
conducts outreach to 5,000 families through neighborhood events, 
distributes more than 100,000 immunization brochures in eight 
languages, and provides an immunization workshop for health care 
professionals; and
	WHEREAS, Immunize Kids! is supported by an extensive, 
community-wide network of individuals and institutions; the many 
partners involved in this effort include the Dallas County 
Department of Health and Human Services, the cities of Dallas, 
Garland, and Irving, the Dallas County Medical Society, Children's 
Medical Center Dallas, and Parkland Health and Hospital System; and
	WHEREAS, Figures recently released by the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention show that Dallas County's immunization rate 
for children age 19 months through 35 months rose from 68.9 percent 
in 2001 to 77.3 percent in 2002; high rates of immunization coverage 
nationally have translated into record or near-record low levels of 
vaccine-preventable diseases; morbidity for most such diseases has 
been reduced by 99 percent or more since the vaccines were 
introduced; and
	WHEREAS, Notwithstanding these achievements, much work 
remains to be done:  more than one million children in the United 
States have not been adequately immunized, and 11,000 more children 
are born each day; and
	WHEREAS, Young children are especially vulnerable to 
infectious diseases, but they can now be protected by vaccinations 
from more diseases than ever before; full vaccination coverage also 
promotes the health of the entire community, and the investment in 
this preventive approach is more than matched by dramatic savings 
in health care costs; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby recognize April 25 through 
May 1, 2004, as National Infant Immunization Week in Texas, that it 
commend all those involved with the Immunize Kids! Dallas Area 
Partnership for their great contribution to the health of young 
children and the community at large, and that it encourage all those 
responsible for the care of infants and toddlers to guard the health 
of their children through full and timely vaccination coverage.