Vaccination Awareness

As physicians at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics, we know that the development of childhood immunizations has been one of the most remarkable advances of science and medicine in the last 150 years. As parents, we have immunized our own children to protect them from 16 potentially harmful diseases. And as community members, we advocate for immunization of all children so that all are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases that can be very serious, may require hospitalization, or can be deadly.

We encourage you to learn the facts about immunizing your children. Before immunizations, about 4 million children each year were infected with diseases that are now preventable — and each year about 30,000 children died. In the United States 98 percent of these cases have been eliminated due to our immunization practices.

Through this Community Benefits Initiative, we strive to increase awareness of the substantial health benefits of immunizing your children and to increase the immunization rate in our community.

Are you an expectant mom? Read our blog post about recommended shots and vaccines for your child in their first year..

Learn Why You Should Immunize Your Child

The Primary Care Center at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics strongly believe that every child should have access to a primary care pediatrician for sick care and well care including immunizations.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile visits several Allegheny County communities on a regular basis to provide care to children who may not currently have access to a pediatrician.

Learn More About Immunization

To learn more about why you should immunize your child, we encourage you to speak with your child’s pediatrician. Here are some other helpful links:

• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Vaccinate Your Family (VYF), formerly known as Every Child By Two (ECBT)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Videos

Our Experts