FORUM 10
Organised by MSD and The Coalition for Life-course Immunisation
Vaccination is a cornerstone of public health and is critical to achieving at least 14 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It is arguably one of the most powerful and cost-effective public health interventions we can use to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. But sadly, its benefits are not always understood, and implementation is inconsistent. Most countries in Europe have traditionally focused their vaccination programmes on young children. There is, however, well-documented evidence to support the benefits of vaccinating people at key stages of their life, depending on their health status, age, lifestyle or occupation.
During this session we will explore the benefits of a life-course approach to vaccination, learn about some of the real-world challenges of implementing it and discuss the tangible actions that we can all take to move this concept into practice.
The session will be introduced by some key European political figures and experts in the life-course approach to vaccination. We will then hear four case studies from stakeholders engaged in advocating for and delivering vaccination to different groups of people at all stages of their lives. This will be followed by an interactive workshop where groups of participants will work with the case study presenters to discuss potential transferable lessons from the case studies and possible barriers to implementing these initiatives in their own settings. The session will end with a group discussion during which participants will be encouraged to develop concrete and sustainable actions to embed a life-course approach to vaccination that delivers wellbeing and health to all, leaving no one behind.
Input from
JOHN RYAN, Director, Public health, country knowledge, crisis management, DG SANTE, European Commission
DAPHNE HOLT, Chair, The Coalition for Life-course Immunisation
EMILIE KARAFILLAKIS, Research Fellow, Vaccine Confidence Project, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
RAMAZAN SALMAN, Managing Director, Ethno-Medizinischen Zentrums
JAN DE BELIE, Professional Affairs Advisor, Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union
NICOLA BEDLINGTON, Secretary General, European Patients’ Forum
KARIN KADENBACH, Member of the European Parliament, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (via live video)
Moderation
SUZANNE WAIT, Managing Director, The Health Policy Partnership