**National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) Background**

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual observance to
promote the benefits of immunizations and to improve the health of
children two years old or younger. Since 1994, local and state health
departments, national immunization partners, healthcare providers,
community leaders from across the country, and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) have worked together through NIIW to
highlight the positive impact of immunization on the lives of infants
and children and to call attention to immunization achievements.

This year's NIIW set for April 19-26, 2008, will be held in conjunction
with the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) Vaccination Week in
the Americas (VWA). Hundreds of communities across the United States and
throughout the Western hemisphere are expected to participate in NIIW
and VWA by planning community awareness and media events to promote
infant immunizations to parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers.
NIIW 2008 will kick-off this year's awareness and education effort with
events in Washington, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Bi-national
awareness and education events are also planned in conjunction with
state and local health departments, PAHO, and the United States - Mexico
Border Health Commission in sister city sites along the United States
and Mexico border. More than 44 other countries throughout the Western
hemisphere will also work together on VWA to highlight the need for
routine vaccinations for infants and children.

Recently, several important milestones have been reached in controlling
vaccine-preventable diseases among infants and adults worldwide:

-   Through immunization, we can now protect infants and children from
    14 vaccine-preventable diseases before age two.

-   In the 1950s, nearly every child developed measles and unfortunately
    some even died from this serious disease. Today, most physicians
    leaving medical school will never see a case of measles during their
    careers.

-   In 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.

-   In September 2007, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    announced that childhood immunization rates for vaccines routinely
    recommended for children remain at or near record highs.

> Vaccines have drastically reduced infant death and disability caused
> by preventable diseases in the United States. Yet without diligent
> efforts to maintain immunization programs here and strengthen them
> worldwide, vaccine-preventable diseases will remain a threat to
> children.

NIIW provides an opportunity to:

-   Highlight the importance and benefits of childhood immunizations,
    especially to parents.

-   Educate parents and caregivers about the importance of vaccination
    in protecting their children from birth against vaccine-preventable
    diseases.

-   Focus attention on our immunization achievements and celebrate the
    accomplishments made possible through successful collaboration.

-   Revitalize efforts to protect children against vaccine-preventable
    diseases and give them a healthy start in life.

-   Encourage better communication between parents and healthcare
    providers.

-   Remind parents and caregivers they need to make and keep needed
    immunization appointments.

-   Provide parents and caregivers with a toll-free number, 800-CDC-INFO
    (800-232-4636), to locate a facility that offers immunizations
    through the Vaccines for Children's program, a federally funded
    program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not
    otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay.

NIIW also supports efforts to:

-   Provide web-based resources for state and local health departments
    and local coalitions to develop and implement a local communication
    strategy to increase awareness of the importance of immunization and
    improve local immunization coverage rates as measured by the
    National Immunization Survey.

-   Create events that attract community and media to increase the
    number and visibility of national and local media stories on infant
    immunization.

-   Provide a forum to pitch news stories, provide a media hook to
    interest local media in developing feature stories on the importance
    of childhood immunization, and create opportunities for local media
    interviews with immunization experts.

-   Recognize local partners and volunteers for their year-round efforts
    helping to raise childhood immunization coverage, with special
    emphasis on completing the vaccination series.

-   Create opportunities for local organizations and agencies to work
    together as immunization partners.

PAHO's Vaccination Week in the Americas offers opportunities to:

-   Vaccinate children under 5 years of age and women of childbearing
    age never before vaccinated or not up-to-date on their vaccinations.

-   Develop plans for solidifying vaccination efforts after the
    Vaccination Week in the Americas.

-   Preserve the eradication of measles in the region.

-   Continue the eradication of rubella (or German measles) and
    congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).

-   Strengthen epidemiological monitoring of vaccine-preventable
    diseases and protect groups at risk of epidemics.

-   Promote communication and cooperation among nations and Pan
    Americanism.

Please visit [www.cdc.gov/vaccines](http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines) for
additional information on NIIW or vaccines.