'Sesame Street' Elmo and U.S. Surgeon General Believe Your Kids Should Be Vaccinated - Here's Why [VIDEO]

By Staff Reporter - 20 Apr '15 11:52AM

In the midst of a measles scare, Elmo from Sesame Street is teaming up with U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy to make an important public health announcement - please vaccinate your kids in order to help the spread of preventable diseases.

"It's my job to help people stay healthy," Murthy explains in the video, and when Elmo asks what he can do to help, Murthy says, "You can get all your vaccinations on time. Those are the shots that help you stay healthy."

When Elmo hears the word "shots," he doesn't look to happy but Murthy reassures him, "It's just a little pinch. And it's safe."

"Ok," the muppet replies, "Elmo will get vaccinated!"

At the end of the clip, Murthy and Elmo seem to ponder the thought process behind anti-vaxxers.

"Boy, that was so easy! Why doesn't everybody get a vaccination?" Elmo asks.

"That's a good question, Elmo, that's a good question," Murthy replies, as they both stroke their chins.

The debate over whether vaccinations should be made mandatory still continues. In one school district in Spokane, Washington, for instance, 143 kids were kicked out of school for not being vaccinated.

"Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools we have for preventing disease and death," Murthy wrote in a blog post about the campaign. "Among children in the U.S. born between 1994 and 2013, routine vaccinations will prevent an estimated 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations, and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetimes."

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