Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on the Childhood Immunization Program

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

Subject: Childhood Immunization Program

As you may know, approximately 20 million of the Nation's children under the age of 15 are not fully protected from preventable childhood diseases. At my request, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare will initiate this week a continuing, high-visibility program and public information campaign to promote desirable childhood immunization. Our goal over the next two years is to reduce as much as humanly possible the numbers of youngsters without medical protection against many major childhood afflictions.

I want each of you to join in this nationwide initiative by taking direct and widespread actions to stress the very great importance of childhood immunization to all federal employees and to initiate effective, agency-wide information programs on how parents can obtain the needed immunizations for their children. Secretary Califano will send to you a packet containing the details of our nationwide program and a memorandum that will highlight any aspects of direct interest and concern to those of us in federal service.

I sincerely believe this single measure of preventive health care can and will affect the future lives and well-being of countless numbers of the Nation's children. I hope each of you will do what you can personally to inform those with whom you work and the Nation's citizens about it. At my request, Mr. Califano will periodically keep us all informed of the progress of this key health initiative and of the additional measures we each may take to assure its success.

JIMMY CARTER