V4L Launches Consensus Statement and Report from Forum to Explore the Role of Patient Organisations in Vaccination

Pneumococcal disease is a leading cause of hospitalization and mortality in Canada. There is a high prevalence of this disease amongst populations that are most at-risk of serious complications from infection, such as older adults in long-term care settings.

The ‘Driving the agenda of pneumococcal pneumonia vaccination in at-risk populations in community and long-term care’ study was conducted to understand the status of existing public health policies and campaigns on pneumococcal disease in community and long-term care settings and its implications on the uptake of pneumococcal vaccination.   The report highlights policy gaps for pneumococcal vaccination across long-term care settings in Canada and accordingly provides recommendations for policy improvements.