Last week, the US Senate passed Senate Resolution 165, which affirms the efficacy of vaccination in the midst of measles outbreaks in 15 states.
The resolution says in part:
“The Senate—
(1) commends the international community, global and domestic health organizations, the private sector, school and community leaders, and faith-based organizations for their tireless work and immense contributions to bolstering global and domestic health through vaccination;
(2) affirms that vaccines and immunizations save lives and are essential to maintain the public health and the economic and national security of the United States;
(3) recognizes that low vaccination rates or the lack of vaccination can create an environment in which a public health crisis could emerge; vaccines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (referred to in this resolving clause as the “FDA”) as safe and effective; and meet the gold standard of safety established by the FDA; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises medical providers and parents in the United States that the benefits of currently recommended vaccines greatly outweigh the risks of those vaccines;
(4) encourages a continued commitment to biomedical research to improve vaccines; and to develop new vaccines against other infectious and fatal diseases; and
(5) urges all people, in consultation with their health care providers, to follow the scientific evidence and consensus of medical experts in favor of timely vaccinations to protect the individual vaccinated; and the children, family, and community of the individual vaccinated.”