In July, the World Health Organization and UNICEF announced that worldwide, 12.9 million infants did not receive any vaccinations in 2016. This means nearly 1 in 10 infants missed the first dose of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, putting them and others at serious risk of these potentially fatal diseases.
Globally, 85 percent of children were vaccinated with the first dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday, and 64 percent with a second dose. Still, this falls short of what’s required to prevent outbreaks and deaths, and achieve worldwide goals to eliminate measles altogether.
In Washington, Swedish is one of the leaders in providing pediatric immunizations to ensure the health of our children and communities. We value our patients and keep their health, safety and well-being in mind by providing best-in-class, highest-quality care – from infancy to end of life. We strive to incorporate our values in everything we do and that includes patient-centered care.
Our successful pediatric immunization program is achieved because of a multidisciplinary team focus on immunizations and our desire to pave the way for a pro-immunization culture. We won’t rest until we achieve our goal to have every child fully immunized.
