TV spot portrays parents who get their kids vaccinated as superheroes

The AAP released a public service announcement depicting parents who get their children caught up on vaccines as superheroes.

The 30-second TV spot, which is part of the AAP’s “Call Your Pediatrician” campaign, was created in response to a decline in childhood immunizations during the pandemic, the AAP said.

A survey conducted last year showed that two-thirds of parents were nervous about taking their child to the pediatrician’s office in the midst of COVID-19.

“We know it has been challenging for parents to manage during the pandemic, but it’s very dangerous to skip or delay childhood immunizations. Especially now, as in-person school and other group activities are resuming in so many communities,” AAP President Lee Savio Beers, MD, said in a statement.

The AAP noted that once a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for children aged younger than 16 years, it cannot be administered at the same time as other routine vaccinations, meaning those who are not caught up could potentially fall even further behind.

The public service announcement will be nationally distributed in English and Spanish for broadcast on TV and social media. In it, two parents are portrayed transforming into superheroes after taking their children to get vaccinated.

“Getting your children caught up on all of their immunizations is one of the most powerful things you can do,” a woman says in a voiceover. “This is a superhero moment.”

The CDC has urged health care providers, schools, state and local governments and families to work together to get children caught up on vaccines as soon as possible, so they will be protected when schools reopen for in-person learning, the AAP said.