Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration today reiterated its commitment to stand with medical experts, to trust science, and to support evidence-based vaccine guidance. The Administration is continuing to recommend following the vaccine schedule for children developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics to protect Pennsylvania’s children from vaccine-prevented diseases.
“As Secretary of Health and a pediatrician with decades of patient care experience, I want to assure all Pennsylvanians that vaccines preventing childhood diseases remain available and covered by insurance,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “There are no changes in vaccine recommendations and availability in Pennsylvania, including those for children to attend school. Health care providers have always used shared decision-making and informed consent with parents, and we will continue to provide the information needed to protect their children.”
The Department of Health is working with physicians across the Commonwealth to create a series of short social media videos on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube to provide health care providers’ perspectives on the value of vaccines that are available to prevent diseases that previously caused many more patients to experience severe illness and death.
In October, Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2025-02, which protects access to life-saving, evidence-based vaccinations in Pennsylvania, protecting families’ freedoms to make their own informed health care decision. The Executive Order:
- Requires state agencies to align vaccine guidance with trusted medical experts;
- Ensures coverage of recommended vaccines through private insurance to the fullest extent of the Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s authority;
- Directs the Department of Human Service to take necessary steps, in accordance with law, to ensure coverage of recommended vaccines through Medicaid;
- Establishes a Vaccine Education Workgroup to strengthen communication and combat misinformation;
- Directs the Departments of Aging and Education to ensure older adults and schools have access to evidence-based guidance on vaccines; and,
- Launches www.pa.gov/vaccines as a centralized vaccine resource for Pennsylvania residents.
For more information on vaccinations in Pennsylvania, visit www.pa.gov/vaccines.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following graphics describe the recommended immunizations for birth through 18 years as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and adopted by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The graphics are available to download here.
