FORUM 10

Vaccines for all – Leaving no-one behind - A life-course approach to vaccination

Friday, 5 October 2018 | 9.00-11.30 | Room 2

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.