In a bid to discourage the growing anti-vaccination sentiments among the parents and children across the United States, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy has joined hands with Sesame Street’s Elmo for launching an appeal to all the Americans to get their children vaccinated against serious diseases.

The US Department of Health and Human Services released a YouTube video on its website showing, Murthy joining forces with Elmo to encourage the children and their parents to support child vaccinations.

“I explained to him that, as Surgeon General, it is my job to help everyone stay healthy. Specifically, Elmo and I talked about the importance of vaccines and making sure that all children are protected from easily preventable diseases,” said US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy in a statement.

In the video when Elmo expresses concern over getting “vaccination shots”, Murthy is seen telling it not to worry as “it’s just a little pinch, and it’s safe.”

“Tell all your friends on Sesame Street to get vaccinated too,” Murthy is seen telling Elmo and the viewers.

This is not the first time when Elmo has participated in such a government effort. In the past, Elmo had clubbed hands with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the HHS for creating awareness among children about staying healthy.

According to the figures of the Department of Health and Human Services, proper vaccination has helped in stopping 21 million hospitalizations as well as 732,000 deaths of children across the country between 1994 and 2013.