The Immunization Alliance is an American vaccine advocacy consortium, assembled under the auspices of the

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an American professional association of pediatricians, headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. It maintains its Department of Federal Affairs office in Washington, D.C. Background The Academy was founded ...

(AAP) in May 2008. The Immunization Alliance has called for a governmental information campaign, ongoing research into vaccine safety and efficacy, balanced media coverage, and restoration of confidence among parents due to vaccine hesitancy and the related controversies in autism.

Formation

Citing the largest

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

outbreak in the United States since 1966 (130 cases in fifteen states), Paul Offit, a member of the Alliance, asserted that this re-emergence of a common childhood disease was a warning about the dangers of "what can happen when parents are misinformed about vaccine safety. "We do not want to become a nation of people who are vulnerable to diseases that are deadly or that can have serious complications, especially if those diseases can be prevented," said

Renee Jenkins Renee Rosalind Jenkins (born 1947) is an American pediatrician known for her work in adolescent medicine. She is the first African-American president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society of Adolescent Medicine. Early life and ed ...

, president of the AAP. The Immunization Alliance's debut was announced in the July 2008 issue of ''

Pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...

'' (published by the AAP), which also detailed its plans for improving vaccine schedule adherence and combating declining immunization rates.

Stated goals

The Immunization Alliance's stated goals include increasing public education about vaccines by both public health organizations and individual physicians, and increasing federal funding and media coverage surrounding the science of vaccine safety.

Member organizations

Over twenty organizations form the Immunization Alliance, including: *

American Academy of Family Physicians The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) was founded in 1947 to promote and maintain high-quality standards for family medicine, an offshoot of the classical general practitioner. It is headquartered in Leawood, Kansas. AAFP is one of ...

* American Academy of Physician Assistants * American College of Preventive Medicine * American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists * American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians * American Medical Association * American Public Health Association * America's Health Insurance Plans * Association of State and Territorial Health Officials * California Immunization Coalition * Every Child By Two *

Immunization Action Coalition The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is an organization that distributes information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent. In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), their headquarters is located in Sai ...

* Indiana Immunization Coalition * Infectious Diseases Society of America *

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to comba ...

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (abbreviated NFID) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and medical community about infectious diseases. It was established in 1973 and is based in Bethesda, Mar ...

* National Vaccine Program Office * Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases *

Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

Sabin Vaccine Institute Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin), located in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit organization promoting global vaccine development, availability, and use. Through its work, Sabin hopes to reduce human suffering by preventing the spread of vaccine-pre ...

* UnitedHealth Group * Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia * Voices for Vaccines

References

External links

AAP.org
- "New Immunization Alliance Issues National Call to Action',

(Sept. 18, 2008) {{vaccines 2008 establishments in the United States Public health organizations Vaccination-related organizations Health and disability rights organizations in the United States Organizations established in 2008 Vaccination in the United States