Across Europe and around the world, there is a growing realisation that vaccines are not just for kids. People of all ages can benefit from immunisation – a fact reflected in a growing number of national vaccine calendars. However, there is a wide range of policies in this field, and significant variation in the uptake of vaccines for older people.
To help address these disparities, several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have come together to form a new interest group. The MEP Interest Group on Life-Course Immunisation was launched at the Parliament in Brussels on 30 January.
The group is co-chaired by Tomislav Sokol, a Croatian MEP, and Lithuanian MEP Vytenis Andriukaitis – who is a former EU Commissioner with responsibility for health. It will be supported by a scientific panel, chaired by Professor Walter Ricciardi.
Speaking ahead of the launch, in an interview with Vaccines Today Editor Gary Finnegan for the CLCI podcast, MEP Sokol said the group would aim to address healthcare inequalities through vaccination.
‘Vaccination is very important to reducing health disparities across the different Member States,’ he said. ‘We know that there are different standards of healthcare provision in different regions of the European Union. We must ensure that all patients have the same access to health; that there are no second-class citizens. In that sense, promoting vaccination and building immunisation infrastructure is extremely important.
Mr Sokol said the new European Health Data Space (EHDS) – which will underpin a common approach to electronic health records – could support better collection of vaccination data across the EU.
‘We need common approaches to collecting health data,’ he said. ‘The implementation of the EHDS will enable better vaccination plans, more coordination and, in the end, better healthcare.’
Dr Andriukaitis emphasised the potential to integrate life-course immunisation within the European Health Union which aims to improve coordination between national governments, particularly in response to future health crises.
He said the Interest Group would seek to raise awareness of life-course immunisation, to increase national budgets for preventative health, and to encourage the development of adult vaccination calendars in all 27 EU Member States.
‘Nobody can protect against pandemics without working together,’ he said. ‘We need broader cooperation between Member States.’
Mobilising a broad coalition of voices for vaccination
The new group will also engage with patient groups, health professional societies and other non-governmental organisations. The aim will be to build a broad coalition of vaccination advocates capable of making a meaningful impact on health policy.
Professor Vytautas Usonis of Vilnius University, and a member of the the Coalition for Life-Course Immunisation (CLCI), said he hoped the new group could initiate and supervise the implementation of life-course immunisation in the Eu.
‘Childhood vaccination is well established, with immunisation calendars in many developing countries,’ he said. ‘Adult vaccination is the subject of diverse national recommendations issued by health authorities or professional organisations. As a result, the coverage rate is insufficient.’
He said the concept of life-course immunisation foresees the development of complex vaccination recommendations for all age groups. To deliver this, political as well as medical decisions are required.
This is where civil society groups come in. Charities, patient groups, medical societies and others can help to educate the public about epidemiology, disease prevention, and the safety and effectiveness of modern vaccines. “Life-course vaccination is the realisation of the right of all EU citizens to have the same access to health,’ Prof Usonis said. ‘To achieve these goals, close co-operation of different civil society groups is of crucial importance.’
