U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) hosted a public forum on childhood immunizations on Thursday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Dent hosted the event with representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Allentown Health Bureau and the Lehigh Valley Health Network in recognition of National Immunization Awareness month.
“Immunizations, or the lack thereof, have been in the news frequently due to outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases,” Dent said. “Many of these outbreaks have been attributed to fewer people vaccinating their children due to fears of autism or other harmful side effects. With the event (on Thursday), I hope we can counter false conclusions like this one, and instead provide factual information about vaccines as well as available resources in the community for further education.”
Dent added that he has worked in Congress to promote public awareness of the importance of vaccines to prevent diseases and cosponsored a House resolution recognizing the importance of vaccines.
“As we near the beginning of the school year, it is a good reminder that all parents should ensure their children are up-to-date on their vaccinations,” Dent said. “It was a pleasure to host this community forum on the importance of immunizations and hear directly from the experts that immunizations are critical in protecting your family and the community from a number of very preventable diseases.”