Impact: News and Resources
The News & Resources page is a space to explore up to date information about V4L projects, press releases, reports, latest videos and access helpful infographics.
Addressing Adult Immunisation Inequity and Improving the Uptake Rates of Adult Vaccination Among Older People
This exciting publication underscores the importance and urgency of ensuring equitable access to vaccinations for all older adults through the sustained and meaningful integration of a life course approach to immunization and highlights the IFA’s continued commitment to ensuring that the rights and choices of older adults are respected and protected.
The article illustrates the interrelated nature of NCDs and population ageing, highlighting key opportunities for synergistic action aligned with global agendas such as the WHO Immunization Agenda 2030, the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing and the WHO Global Report on Ageism…
Call to Action
Adult Vaccination Healthcare Providers Education ECHO Series
Despite the devastating impact of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) on individuals, societies, and nations, adult immunization as a pillar of healthy ageing is seldom prioritized. Emerging from a global pandemic, there is a critical need to connect interdisciplinary stakeholders, provide a platform for knowledge sharing, and empower healthcare providers (HCPs) to be educators and advocates of adult vaccination for their constituents.
With this in mind, the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) is proud to announce the Adult Vaccination Healthcare Providers Education ECHO, which aims to strengthen healthcare provider skills and competencies to promote and advocate for adult immunization. Building on previous programming and experience, IFA will harness the ECHOTM Model and its proven method of learning for this innovative program to educate and inform diverse healthcare providers on the important linkages between healthy ageing and the prevention of VPDs.
Learning opportunity, education
Presidential Symposium on Immunisation for all ages
The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) recently held its 16th Global Conference on Ageing entitled Challenge, Transformation, Change which aimed to influence and shape policy that improves the quality of life of current and future generations of older people. The IFA’s 16th Global Conference boldly focused on themes not often prioritized and actioned in policy dialogue, including Immunisation for All Ages as a key theme.
Executive Summary
Prioritisation of Vaccine Preventable Respiratory Diseases –2022
During 2022, through an advisory panel forum, Pfizer brought together experts in adult vaccination from across Europe to discuss the Prioritisation of Vaccine Preventable Respiratory Diseases.
During the sessions, members of the advisory panel discussed the opportunities and challenges to elevate adult vaccination, beyond COVID-19 and influenza, to other adult vaccines such as pneumococcal, with a particular focus on how best to support health system sustainability and resilience ahead of Winter 2022/23…
Call to Action
Driving Policy Change through the Targeted Accelerated Implementation of the Adult Vaccination Advocacy Toolkit (AVAT)
An expert meeting was held in Prague, Czech Republic to pilot-test the AVAT and ensure the feasibility of its implementation at a national level, while assessing components of the policy toolkit for its effectiveness in supporting adult vaccination advocacy. Through dialogue with discipline and sector-diverse experts, including those from long-term care and social service settings, geriatricians, and industry, this meeting resulted in multiple outputs and assets to build capacity for advocacy while providing examples of how the toolkit can be used to create resources for such initiatives.
Executive Summary
Burden of disease – A focus on acute respiratory viruses in older adults
Why should older adults be particularly careful of acute respiratory viruses? What are risk factors for adverse outcomes? Why is RSV typically under-diagnosed in adults compared with flu and what are some of the long-term impacts? Are older adults always more at risk in a pandemic? What do we mean by ageism and what needs to be done to counter it…
Podcast
Influencing Adult Pneumonia Vaccination Policy
“Influencing Adult Pneumonia Vaccination Policy” assessed pneumonia vaccination policy, public health messages and campaigns for at-risk adult groups and older people across nine European countries with the ultimate goal of improving uptake rates of pneumonia vaccination and decreasing the burden of pneumonia among high-risk adults…
Summary report, consensus statement, country-level reports
Improving vaccine confidence in the most vulnerable populations
Despite the historical triumph of vaccination, societal distrust in the importance, safety, and effectiveness of vaccination has resulted in lowered rates of vaccine confidence amongst populations, contributing to epidemiological shifts in the burden of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs)…
Executive summary, consensus statement, message bank, press kit
Influenza stakeholder showcase
Vaccination against influenza (the flu) is the most impactful public health intervention that provinces, civil society organizations (CSOs), and individuals can support in order to protect older adults and immunocompromised individuals from poor outcomes following influenza infection…
Executive summary, consensus statement, policy brief, infographic, message bank, press kit
Adult pertussis vaccination
Given the rapid ageing of the world’s population and with the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing in motion, now is the time to prioritize and drive action towards the maintenance and improvement of the health and functional ability of older people. Life in later years can often be dominated by poor health, social isolation, and dependency on care which can have several significant negative consequences for older adults and society, adding further stress to an over-burdened health care system and decreasing the quality and years of life for older people around the world…
Technical report, infographic, message bank, press kit
Adult pneumonia vaccination in long-term care settings
The global population is rapidly changing, resulting in a shift in demographic distributions towards older ages, known as population ageing. It is estimated that by 2050, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or older, with the proportion of this population and those 80 years or above doubling and tripling, respectively. With the significant shift in age distributions globally, there is an unprecedented demand for the implementation of comprehensive life course immunization programs, particularly for older adults and those with chronic conditions…
Technical report, consensus statement, press release
AV-HCP ECHO program learning series
The global ageing population is expected to increase from 9.4% in 2020 to 16% in 2050. In the context of healthy ageing and a life course approach to immunization, older persons are a rapidly growing population at risk for serious complications and death associated with infectious diseases. Parallel to the process of ageing is the increasing vulnerability to infectious diseases for those with noncommunicable diseases…
ECHO report, technical report, infographic, press kit
Adult vaccination advocacy toolkit (AVAT)
The Adult Vaccination Advocacy Toolkit responds to an urgent call from stakeholders and advocacy groups to influence and shape adult vaccination policy. The Toolkit is a collection of authoritative and adaptable resources designed around four key policy issues: vaccine pathways, expansion of the pool of vaccine administrators, effective targeted adult vaccination campaigns, and an environment that strives for vaccination equality…
Report, social media toolkit, webinars
Adult vaccination education program: Understanding (person) patient experiences ECHO
Vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among older people and those with chronic conditions who are at high-risk of serious complications from infection. Vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions and a key component of healthy ageing. Despite clear evidence in support of the value of adult vaccination, the uptake rates remain suboptimal among older adults globally…
Modules, Hub members
Previous IFA News and resources
Fighting the Flu through Targeted Awareness Campaigns – Expert Meeting
In the winter of 2017, Germany saw 82,000 cases of influenza, with a vaccination rate below 50% recorded in recent years.[1] Influenza vaccination is a critical yet underthought...
Adult Vaccination in the Asia Pacific: Mobilising Policy and Practice Knowledge Expert Meeting
Experts from the fields of ageing, infectious diseases, public health, medicine and nursing gathered in Singapore recently to discuss adult vaccination uptake in the Asia Pacific...
Live from New York: What’s Happening in Ageing at the United Nations in 2019?
The United Nations, founded in 1945, is currently made up of 193 Member States. You might ask “where does ageing fit into the UN’s mandate?” Actually, all of the issues...
Introducing the IFA Post-Conference Education Webinar Series
In 2018 the IFA held its largest global conference to date, convening over 1200 delegates. However, there are many more people who wanted to participate and were unable. As such,...
Prevention is the Best Medicine: The Importance of Immunization to the Health of Seniors
On Tuesday 27 November 2018, health care professionals, public health officials, stakeholders in ageing, immunization and lung conditions, and interested members of the public...
Man(ageing) Diabetes #WDD2018
What is Diabetes? Diabetes mellitus (diabetes) is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases globally and continues to increase in numbers and significance. Diabetes is a...
“Vaccination and the at-risk population of adults with heart and lung conditions” Expert Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden
“Vaccination and the at-risk population of adults with heart and lung conditions” was a recent IFA hosted meeting (11-12 October) in Sweden that brought together for the first...
Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions for #IDOP2018
A ‘champion’ is an individual that facilitates change – whether it’s organizational, institutional, or social – and is active throughout all the stages of change. The role of...
“Vaccinations and the At-risk Adult Population of Diabetes” Expert Meeting, Belfast, UK
From 6-7 September 2018, the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) convened a diverse group of 21 experts in the fields of public health, diabetes, ageing, immunology and...
An Economic Analysis of Flu Vaccination
The IFA welcomes guest blogger Mr David Sinclair, Director, ILC-UK New research by the International Longevity Centre – UK (ILC-UK) argues that Government should take into...
3 Common Misconceptions about the Flu Vaccine
Older people are at a higher risk of the flu than the general population due to a decline in immune system function as one ages; emphasizing the importance of vaccination in...
#EyeSeeYou Partner: World Blind Union celebrates Vision Health Month
The World Blind Union is a global organization that represents the worldwide community of 253 million blind and partially sighted persons. We have been working for more than 3...
IFA acknowledges support from GSK and Sanofi Pasteur for Vaccines4Life through unrestricted educational grants and is proud to be part of the Vaccines Safety Net (VSN) Database.
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