IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 179 

Recognizing the importance of vaccinations and immunizations in the United 

States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 5, 2019 

Mr. SCHIFF (for himself and Mr. BURGESS) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the importance of vaccinations and 

immunizations in the United States. 

Whereas the contributions of Louis Pasteur and Edward Jenner to the discovery of the principles of vaccinology are 

among the most consequential health findings in human 

history; 

Whereas vaccines have made it possible to eradicate smallpox, 

saving approximately 5 million lives annually, and for the 

international community to be on the brink of eradicating 

polio and to have saved an estimated 18 million people 

from paralysis over the past three decades; 

Whereas vaccines have dramatically reduced the spread of 

crippling and potentially life-threatening diseases such as 

diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, and rubella, and 

vaccines have prevented the spread of commonly infecVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:37 Mar 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR179.IH HR179

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•HRES 179 IH 

tious and potentially fatal diseases such as chickenpox, 

shingles, influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, and whooping cough (pertussis); 

Whereas the scientific and medical communities are in overwhelming consensus that vaccines are both effective and 

safe, and the dissemination of unfounded, and debunked, 

theories about the dangers of vaccinations pose a great 

risk to public health, and scientifically sound education 

and outreach campaigns about vaccination and immunization are fundamental for a well-informed public; 

Whereas an estimated 43,000 adults and 300 children die annually from vaccine-preventable diseases or their complications in the United States, and the health and livelihood of young children, seniors, individuals with immunodeficiency disorders, and those who cannot be vaccinated, 

are particularly compromised by communities with low 

vaccination rates; 

Whereas substantial research has shown that vaccination is 

a highly cost-effective form of preventive medicine, and 

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 

estimates that between 1994 and 2013, vaccinations 

saved nearly $295 billion in direct costs and $1.38 trillion in total societal costs in the United States; 

Whereas vaccines in the United States undergo extensive 

safety and efficacy testing before licensure by the Food 

and Drug Administration (FDA) and are continually 

monitored for adverse events after health care providers 

administer them to patients; 


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Whereas there are four post-marketing surveillance systems 

in the United States tracking adverse events after vaccination; 

Whereas it is estimated that vaccinations will prevent more 

than 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths 

among children born in the last 20 years, and that more 

than 100 million children worldwide are immunized each 

year and vaccines save an estimated 2.5 million children 

under age five annually; 

Whereas one in five children worldwide still lack access to 

common vaccines and, as a result, an estimated 1.5 million children die annually from complications of vaccinepreventable diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia or 

suffer from permanently debilitating illnesses; 

Whereas strong investments in biomedical research to improve existing vaccines and develop many more life-saving 

vaccines are beneficial to all, both at home and abroad, 

and a robust immunization infrastructure is essential to 

the public health and well-being of the people of the 

United States by preventing and isolating outbreaks of 

infectious diseases at their source; 

Whereas encouraging high vaccination rates and promoting 

vaccine confidence in the United States protects our citizens from contracting vaccine-preventable diseases that 

are endemic in countries with low vaccination and immunization rates; 

Whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) recently 

identified vaccine hesitancy as a top health threat for 

2019, and addressing the many factors that contribute to 

vaccine hesitancy is crucial in increasing vaccination 

rates and achieving herd immunity; 


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Whereas routine and up-to-date vaccination is the most effective method available to prevent the transmission of potentially fatal infectious diseases; and 

Whereas the United States has been a leader in promoting 

vaccinations around the world through the United States 

Agency for International Development, the CDC, Gavi, 

the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, UNICEF, the WHO, and a host of other multilateral and non-governmental organizations: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commends the international community, 

3 global and domestic health organizations, the private 

4 sector, school and community leaders, and faith5 based organizations for their tireless work and im6 mense contributions to bolstering our global and do7 mestic health through vaccination; 

8 (2) affirms vaccines and immunizations save 

9 lives and are essential to maintain the public health, 

10 and the economic and national security of the people 

11 of the United States; 

12 (3) recognizes that the lack of vaccination can 

13 create an environment in which a public health crisis 

14 could emerge, and that there is no credible evidence 

15 demonstrating that vaccines cause life-threatening or 

16 disabling diseases in healthy children or adults; 


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1 (4) encourages a continued commitment to bio2 medical research to improve vaccines and to develop 

3 new vaccines against other infectious and fatal dis4 eases; and 

5 (5) urges everyone, in consultation with their 

6 health care provider, to follow the scientific evidence 

7 and consensus of medical experts in favor of timely 

8 vaccinations to protect themselves, their children, 

9 their family, and their community. 

Æ 


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