Pa youth immunization programs need improvement

(Harrisburg) — As children across the state head back to school one state lawmaker is joining a campaign to encourage parents to protect their kids by getting them the right vaccinations.

Senator Shirley Kitchen of Philadelphia and Minority Chair of the Senate Public Health & Welfare Committee says Pennsylvania has a high-quality healthcare system and wide availablity of immunization programs, yet too many children are going without.

“The most recent Department of Health report shows that only 86-percent of children entering kindergarten here have the necessary vaccinations, compared with roughly 95-percent in the rest of the country,” Kitchen said.

Kitchen is sponsoring a Senate resolution that calls on a state public health law task force to evaluate youth immunization programs and recommend changes to improve them.

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