Supporting the designation of the first week of April as “Adolescent Immunization Action Week” and recognizing the importance of encouraging vaccination for adolescents and young adults to protect against serious illness.

Supporting the designation of the first week of April as “Adolescent Immunization Action Week” and recognizing the importance of encouraging vaccination for adolescents and young adults to protect against serious illness.

Whereas 2024 marks the 3rd 2025 marks the 4th annual nationally recognized “Adolescent Immunization Action Week”;

Whereas adolescents and young adults are vital to the United States future success and quality of life;

Whereas all adolescents and young adults deserve to be protected against vaccine-preventable illness;

Whereas adolescents and young adults are a particularly vulnerable subset of the United States population with respect to preventive health services;

Whereas through clinical trials and evaluation measures vaccines are proven to be a safe and effective preventive health tool to protect adolescents and young adults, and their communities, from serious illness;

Whereas immunization rates is one of the standards that is measured in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2030, a multiobjective plan to improve the Nation’s health over the next decade;

Whereas adolescents and young adults are below Healthy People goals for recommended immunizations and have been slow to get up-to-date since the COVID–19 pandemic;

Whereas protecting adolescents and young adults from vaccine-preventable illness is a community responsibility held by parents, caregivers, and health care providers to ensure the quality of life of individuals and the community;

Whereas there is a need to address and heal mistrust in vaccines in rural and underserved communities throughout the United States;

Whereas parents rate getting all recommended vaccines, getting a yearly flu shot, and getting the new COVID–19 vaccine as lowest in importance (81 percent, 58 percent, and 46 percent respectively) compared to many other preventive health behaviors for their teen;

Whereas 53 percent of teens residing in rural communities do not intend to get the COVID–19 vaccine;

Whereas racial and ethnic vaccine coverage disparities persist in communities throughout the United States;

Whereas more than 75 percent of parents and teens agree that there is a lot of misinformation about vaccines;

Whereas parents, caregivers, adolescents, and young adults are in need of accurate, easy-to-understand vaccine information to guide vaccination decisions that will support lifelong health;

Whereas parents and caregivers residing in rural communities and in the Southern United States are the least trusting of public health or government agencies, and doctors or other health care providers as sources for vaccine information;

Whereas, as the primary source of trusted health information for caregivers and teens, health care providers have a duty to take action toward combating misinformation and disinformation by conveying accurate vaccine information; and

Whereas active collaboration amongst Federal, State, and local organizations is critical to establishing immunization as a safe and effective contributor to preventative health and to furthering the common goal of high immunization coverage among adolescents and young adults: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) supports the designation of Adolescent Immunization Awareness Week;

(2) calls upon all citizens, community agencies, faith groups, medical institutions, providers, elected leaders, governmental agencies, and patient advocacy organizations to increase their participation in the effort to support immunizations for adolescents and young adults, thereby protecting from vaccine-related illnesses and strengthening the communities in which we live;

(3) calls upon health care providers to take active steps to heal the historic medical mistrust in medically underserved communities; and

(4) requests that the President issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to recognize Adolescent Immunization Awareness Week with such participation, activities, and programming.