This respiratory illness season, families in communities around the country face vaccine-preventable diseases that can cause serious illness in children — from the flu, COVID-19, whooping cough, pneumococcal disease, and RSV, to measles. Meanwhile, recent data show that vaccination rates in children continue to decline, leaving them more vulnerable and susceptible to severe illness.
Given this landscape, many parents and caregivers have questions about pediatric vaccines, including access through the federal Vaccines for Children program. This is a critical moment for vaccine champions to reinforce focus on pediatric vaccine uptake and strategies that help protect against severe respiratory illness.
Experts in pediatric care, public health, and vaccine policy discussed the critical role that respiratory vaccines play in keeping children safe and practical tools for supporting childhood vaccination during respiratory illness season and beyond.
Panelists included: