Illinois e-News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 4, 2023

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has launched a new awareness campaign dubbed “Don’t Wait, Get Your Kids Up-to-Date” to remind parents and guardians to schedule routine vaccinations with their children’s primary care provider ahead of the coming school year. Recent outbreaks of measles and chickenpox remind us of the importance of being protected from vaccine preventable infections. Now is the time for children who fell behind on their shots during the pandemic to catch up. The digital media campaign is being rolled out as the nation marks National Immunization Awareness Month throughout August, an annual observance that highlights the importance of routine vaccinations for people of all ages.

“Vaccinations remain one of our greatest public health achievements,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “Vaccines have resulted in the eradication of smallpox, the near elimination of polio, and decreased levels of many infectious diseases across the United States and world. As a pediatrician, I encourage parents to place routine children’s vaccines at the top of their back-to-school checklists. Don’t wait, get your kids up-to-date!”

The CDC recommends vaccines for children and adolescents based on age, health conditions, and other factors. Its Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule lays out the recommended doses for each age group. While all parents of school-aged children should review the CDC’s guidelines and speak to their primary care provider, special attention should be given to the key vaccines recommended for children between the ages of four and six — like measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and chickenpox (varicella) — as well as 11 to 12 — like tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap), meningococcal (MenACWY) and human papillomavirus (HPV). The CDC has also developed an Assessment Tool that helps identify vaccines that protect from certain high-risk, medical, or living conditions.

The State of Illinois follows the CDC’s recommendations on the minimum immunization requirements for children enrolling or entering a child care facility or school, the latest of which can be found here.

The CDC has not yet released its recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for this fall.

The “Don’t Wait, Get Your Kids Up-to-Date” campaign will reach Illinoisans in every corner of the state in both English and Spanish through a variety of digital media channels, including connected TV, streaming audio, billboards, digital display and video, and social media. Click here to download the campaign toolkit.