YOUR GLOBAL POINT OF CONNECTION ON ADULT VACCINATION
About
By 2050, the United Nations projects that one fifth of the global population will be aged 65 years or older, total some 2 billion people. Vaccination is an important element of a more comprehensive health promotion strategy to healthy ageing, as vaccines can help reduce the burden of infectious diseases, decrease functional decline and add healthy life years. Despite governmental efforts and repeated cost-analyses demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of adult vaccination, coverage tends to be low. Vaccines for Life aims to be a reliable and valuable point of connection and resource for global stakeholders working to influence adult vaccination policy and increase uptake rates.
Ageing & Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs)
Due to decline in immune system function as one ages (immunosenescence), older people are particularly vulnerable to vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs), a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.
Focusing on At-risk Groups
Vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) such as pneumonia and influenza have serious and life-threatening consequences for older people with an already weakened immunity, often made more so with chronic comorbid conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic lung diseases.
Addressing Barriers
Barriers to increasing adult vaccination vary widely between countries and regions, however they largely center around 1) lack of awareness and 2) structural impediments affecting vaccine supply and access.
World Coalition on Adult Vaccination Members
