WASHINGTON and KENILWORTH, N.J., May
17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vaccinate Your Family, in
collaboration with Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside
the United States and Canada, announced today the launch of a new
public health campaign called Don't Skip with actress,
activist and author Gabrielle
Union-Wade to encourage families to schedule their
well-visits and stay up to date on all recommended vaccines.
Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8894351-merck-vaccinate-your-family-dont-skip-gabrielle-union-wade/
Parents' fears about COVID-19, stay-at-home policies and other
pandemic-related issues have caused families to stay away from
doctors' offices over the past year, with potentially serious
implications to national public health. Missed child well-visits
have led to declines in recommended vaccinations, with up to a
26 percent drop in certain childhood vaccinations between
January and September 2020, according
to one report.
As part of the campaign, a series of new public service
announcements feature Union-Wade and her family during moments that
reflect some of the realities of life during the pandemic, along
with an important message: it's okay to skip some things right now,
but a visit to the doctor isn't one of them. These visits are
important for people of all ages to stay on schedule with their
recommended vaccinations, especially for young children
and preteens who may have missed some vaccines.
"The health and wellness of my family is my number one priority.
Like so many other families, we've had to make some adjustments
over the past year. But for us, we did not skip our kids'
well-visits and recommended vaccines," said Union-Wade. "If there's
one thing the pandemic has taught us, it's that public health
matters and we all can do our part to help protect our families and
each other. That's why I'm encouraging parents to talk to their
kid's doctors now about getting back into the office to stay up to
date with their kid's recommended vaccinations."
Timing to return to doctors' offices has become important, as
public venues are starting to reopen, and families are
planning for summer break activities and a return to school
later this year.
"Now is the time for people of all ages to be talking with their
doctor about how to stay up to date with their
recommended vaccinations, and it's especially important for preteens
and young children as communities reopen," said Amy Pisani, executive
director of Vaccinate Your Family. "Doctors are taking many
precautions to help keep their offices as safe as possible, from
special hours for well-visits to wait-in-car policies to limiting
the number of people who attend visits. It's important for parents
to ask their child's doctor now if their child is due for, or has
missed, any recommended vaccinations."
"The decline in recommended vaccination rates and doctor
visits reported during the pandemic is a serious public health
concern. The scale of this challenge calls for big voices, which is
why we are thrilled to have Gabrielle, her family and Vaccinate
Your Family involved in this important public health campaign,"
said Dr. Julie Gerberding, executive
vice president and chief patient officer, Merck. "Merck has a proud
legacy of advancing important health initiatives and the decline in
recommended child vaccinations warrants urgent return to care
action. With support from Gabrielle and Vaccinate Your Family, we
hope families will be motivated to help stay protected against
vaccine-preventable diseases."
More information can be found on DontSkipVaccines.com.
About Don't Skip
Don't Skip is a
national public health campaign by Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) in
collaboration with Merck, featuring Gabrielle Union-Wade and her family. It focuses
on encouraging families to return to routine health care, schedule
their well-visits and stay up to date on recommended vaccinations,
especially those that may have been missed during the pandemic. To
learn more, visit DontSkipVaccines.com.
About Vaccinate Your Family
Vaccinate Your Family
(VYF) has been working for three decades to help protect people of
all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases. Founded by Former First
Lady Rosalynn Carter and Former
First Lady of Arkansas Betty Bumpers, the nonprofit organization
has been instrumental in educating the public about the importance
of timely vaccinations, in addition to combatting vaccine
disinformation both nationally and on a global scale. VYF's
advocacy efforts have helped to ensure strong vaccination policies
and programs that improve vaccination access for everyone in the
U.S., including our most vulnerable populations. VYF reaches
millions of individuals through their World Health Organization
(WHO)-certified website, as well as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
YouTube and the Shot of Prevention blog, where they offer
science-based information on vaccines and the diseases they
prevent.
About Merck
For 130 years, Merck, known as MSD outside
of the United States and
Canada, has been inventing for
life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the
world's most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save
and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and
population health by increasing access to health care through
far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck
continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat
diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer,
infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal
diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive
biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information, visit
www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
YouTube and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This
news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the "company") includes
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor
provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and
expectations of the company's management and are subject to
significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions
prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual
results may differ materially from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease
(COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and
health care legislation in the United
States and internationally; global trends toward health care
cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents
attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product
development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company's
ability to accurately predict future market conditions;
manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of
international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the
effectiveness of the company's patents and other protections for
innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including
patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company's 2020
Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company's other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC's
Internet site (www.sec.gov).
Vaccinate Your
Family
|
Merck Media
Contacts:
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Media
Contact:
|
Deb Wambold: (215)
779-2234
|
Erica DeWald: (908)
812-0084
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Melissa Moody: (973)
275-7075
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SOURCE Merck; Vaccinate Your Family