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 Jen-
ner 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 infec-
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tious and potentially fatal diseases such as chickenpox, 
shingles, influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococ-
cal disease, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, and whoop-
ing cough (pertussis); 
Whereas the scientific and medical communities are in over-
whelming 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 immuni-
zation are fundamental for a well-informed public; 
Whereas an estimated 43,000 adults and 300 children die an-
nually from vaccine-preventable diseases or their com-
plications in the United States, and the health and liveli-
hood of young children, seniors, individuals with immuno-
deficiency 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 tril-
lion 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 vac-
cination; 
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 mil-
lion children die annually from complications of vaccine- 
preventable diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia or 
suffer from permanently debilitating illnesses; 
Whereas strong investments in biomedical research to im-
prove 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 citi-
zens from contracting vaccine-preventable diseases that 
are endemic in countries with low vaccination and immu-
nization 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 effec-
tive method available to prevent the transmission of po-
tentially 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 Initia-
tive, UNICEF, the WHO, and a host of other multilat-
eral and non-governmental organizations: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) commends the international community, 
global and domestic health organizations, the private 
sector, school and community leaders, and faith- 
based organizations for their tireless work and im-
mense contributions to bolstering our global and do-
mestic health through vaccination; 
(2) affirms vaccines and immunizations save 
lives and are essential to maintain the public health, 
and the economic and national security of the people 
of the United States; 
(3) recognizes that the lack of vaccination can 
create an environment in which a public health crisis 
could emerge, and that there is no credible evidence 
demonstrating that vaccines cause life-threatening or 
disabling diseases in healthy children or adults; 
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(4) encourages a continued commitment to bio-
medical research to improve vaccines and to develop 
new vaccines against other infectious and fatal dis-
eases; and 
(5) urges everyone, in consultation with their 
health care provider, to follow the scientific evidence 
and consensus of medical experts in favor of timely 
vaccinations to protect themselves, their children, 
their family, and their community. 
Æ 
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