Every year during the last week of April, World Immunization Week marks the opportunity to create awareness of and promote one of the world's most successful health interventions - vaccines. The theme for this year is Vaccines Bring us Closer, highlighting the importance of vaccination in bringing people together, and improving the health and wellbeing of everyone, everywhere throughout life.
As we continue living with COVID-19, coming together across sectors and disciplines to combat the spread of the disease is unequivocally crucial. This newsletter serves as an opportunity for World Coalition on Adult Vaccination members to communicate and collaborate on initiatives that tackle immunization issues facing older people and those with chronic medical conditions, and is a means of galvanizing global action towards improving immunization policies.
In celebration of World Immunization Week, the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) is delighted to launch a new tool on the Vaccines4Life website, the Global Shared Calendar.
The Global Shared Calendar was created to connect people, organizations, government and industry interested in improving the uptake rates of adult vaccination through knowledge exchange and mobilization of a variety of events (podcasts, webinars, dialogues) and key global agendas (WHO Immunization Agenda 2030, UN Decade on Healthy Ageing 2021-2030). Join the global community and share events and campaigns related to adult vaccination by clicking ‘submit an event’.
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Vaccines4Life Summit
Beyond the Pandemic: Driving Policy to Improve Adult Immunization Rates
The International Federation on Ageing (IFA), together with international partners, is hosting the Vaccines4Life (V4L) Summit entitled "Beyond the Pandemic: Driving Policy to Improve Adult Immunization Rates." This full day program aims to inform the global agenda for a life course approach to vaccination, one day prior to its 15th Global Conference on Ageing "Rights Matter!"
The V4L Summit is a virtual and in-person global stage for knowledge exchange and mobilization founded upon 3 critical pillars of life course immunization strategies to leave no one behind: prevention, access and equity. Explore the intersection of the fields of immunization, ageing, public health, health policy, health economics, government, journalism, digital marketing and communications alongside decision-makers, global thought leaders and frontline healthcare professionals in this premier full-day pre-conference event.
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Tuesday 9th November 2021
9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST
Virtually and
In-person in Niagara Falls, Canada at the Hilton Niagara Falls Hotel
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URGENT: Calling for Action on the COVID-19 Oxygen Crisis
Deadline 28 April 2021 at 4:00pm EST
The Community and Civil Society representatives to the ACT-A Facilitation Council and Health Poverty Action invite signatures from individuals and organizations in a letter to G7 leaders calling for urgent mobilization and deployment of resources in response to the COVID-19 oxygen crisis in India, Brazil and other countries and to address potential future shortages.
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Contribute to the Development of a Vaccination Advocacy Toolkit
Older people and those with chronic conditions are at risk of serious complications and death from routine infectious diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, pertussis and shingles. Civil society organizations play a vital role in speaking with one voice to bring awareness to the significance of vaccines as well as informing policy to improve vaccination uptake rates and ensure equitable access.
Evidence gathered through the International Federation on Ageing’s (IFA) engagement with civil society organizations has highlighted the urgent need for a vaccination advocacy toolkit to help build the knowledge and capacity of organizations for whom vaccination is not the core business.
In efforts to increase knowledge on the good practices and lessons learned in the transactional process of developing effective vaccination advocacy campaigns and messages, the IFA seeks contributions of Coalition members to share their perspectives.
The IFA appreciates the contribution of Coalition members for the Vaccination Advocacy Toolkit, which will be launched at the IFA 15th Global Conference on Ageing in November 2021. Coalition members are encouraged to provide a point form description of a maximum of 300 words on the following elements of lessons learned regarding adult vaccination:
- Key factors (is vaccination a priority and why/why not?)
- Communication strategy
- Partnerships and timeline
- Evaluation of success
- Challenges
- Opportunities
Please contact Ms. Petek Yurt, Project Officer ( pyurt@ifa.ngo) to submit your response. |
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IFA Project ECHO Adult Vaccination Mentorship Program
IFA is proud to announce the first ever Project ECHO Adult Vaccination mentorship program. This multi-session learning cycle will help improve skills to educate, promote and talk about adult immunization, through the lens of prevention, access and equity, with the end goal of improving adult vaccination uptake rates.
This safe environment creates the opportunity to share knowledge and be part of an online learning community through guided practice, peer learning and collaborative problem solving. The program seeks to build the capacity and capability of patient and ageing organizations as champions of adult immunization.
IFA is interested in understanding which topics would best respond to gaps in knowledge and practice in your organization, needed to prioritize adult vaccination. IFA invites your participation in a short survey on proposed session topics.
To express interest in the program, register here or for more information, please contact Ms. Katrina Bouzanis, Project Officer ( kbouzanis@ifa.ngo). |
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Updates from the World Coalition on Adult Vaccination |
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Immunisation for All Ages
The Immunisation for All Ages (IFAA) collaborative initiative situated within the context of the current global public health crisis underlines how older people and adults with underlying health conditions have been disproportionately affected by inconsistent policies on prevention, access to and equity of health care services including immunisation.
The IFAA initiative is working to combat inequity and improve access to immunisation to help promote health throughout life, to preserve function and to help prevent disability and death due to vaccine-preventable diseases. Set against recent intersecting intergovernmental frameworks of action including the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021-2030, the New Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and the WHO Immunisation Agenda 2030: A Global Strategy, working towards a life course approach to immunisation has never been more propitious.
Learn more in the IFAA Manifesto and watch a recent webinar entitled "Driving Policy to Action," which features leading expert speakers Dr. Michael Moore, Mr. David Sinclair, and Dr. Jane Barratt:
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60-Second Fact Check: Vaccine Safety for Older Adults
The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) has launched a campaign through the Vaccines4Life platform entitled "Vaccine Safety for Older Adults | 60 Second Fact Check Videos," which aims to increase awareness of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, reduce vaccine hesitancy and build trust within some of the most at risk populations.
IFA welcomes the continued contributions of individuals and organizations of 60-second Fact Check videos within the context of adult vaccinations, and invites you to consider sharing and liking videos shared by Coalition members on social media networks. A playlist comprising all submitted videos is available on the IFA YouTube channel.
If you are interested in participating in this campaign, please contact Ms. Petek Yurt, Project Officer ( pyurt@ifa.ngo). |
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60 Second Fact Check: Differentiating Fake News from Reliable News on Vaccine Safety |
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60 Second Fact Check:
Vaccines that Older Adults Should Prioritize Receiving
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60 Second Fact Check:
Lung Health Foundation on the Safety of Vaccines
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World Meningitis Day 2021 |
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World Meningitis Day aims to raise awareness of a disease that can kill or cause lifelong after effects in hours. With a new Global Roadmap in place and infectious diseases at the forefronts of everyone’s minds, now, more than ever, is the time to take action to defeat meningitis.
Unfortunately, meningitis continues to be a global problem despite being largely preventable. Meningitis affects all age group including older adults. Of immediate and urgent concern is the fact that progress against this disease has lagged behind other vaccine preventable diseases. Multiple vaccines are needed to protect against its most prevalent strains and these are not always available or affordable. The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) and Immunize Canada together with many organizations around the world are proud to support World Meningitis Day, an initiative of the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO).
Immunize Canada, the IFA through the Vaccine4life program, and Vaccine Safety Network are calling on individuals and organizations to encourage policymakers to endorse and action the WHO Roadmap to Defeat Meningitis by 2030. The fight to eliminate this infectious disease through safe and appropriate vaccines and vaccination can only be achieved through a powerful multistakeholder engagement across the life course.
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Delivering Prevention in an Ageing World |
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Following our year-long Prevention in an ageing world programme that sparked conversations from Abu Dhabi to Taipei, Austin, Geneva, Sydney, London all the way to the G20 Health Ministers, the message is clear. It’s never too late to prevent. And the health and economic costs of failing to invest in preventative interventions across the life course are simply too high to ignore.
We know that prevention works, but for too long cultural, economic and geographic divides have led to deep-running inequalities in access to preventative services, which have been further exposed during the coronavirus pandemic. In an ageing world, this needs to change.
As part of our Delivering prevention in an ageing world programme, supported by Home Instead, GSK, Pfizer, Seqirus, MSD and Gilead, we are now moving from “why” we ought to prioritise prevention across the life course to “how” we can deliver it, we are looking for feedback on how we can democratise access to prevention and address these health inequalities.
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Recent Statement on COVID-19 Vaccination |
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The German National Association of Senior Citizens‘ Organisations (BAGSO) welcomes the progress made in vaccinations against the Sars-CoV-2 virus. In its statement, it points out that improvements in the procedure are still necessary in numerous places. For example, the situation in home care is not taken into account enough in the prioritisation. In order to strengthen the willingness to vaccinate, the BAGSO urgently calls for a centrally coordinated, nationwide information campaign that informs the population about the mode of action and possible side effects of the approved vaccines. The procedure for allocating vaccination appointments should be as simple as possible and take place by letter and telephone. |
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Recent Statement on Influenza Vaccination |
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The French Geriatrics Scientific Society (SFGG) has released a statement for the use of HD flu vaccine for adults aged 65 years and over, with residents of long term care facilities identified as a top priority. In the statement, the SFGG recommends the use of QIV HD for adults aged 65 years and older given the clinical efficacy demonstrated. The SFGG calls for prioritization of the oldest adults within populations and those with multiple chronic conditions, to be vaccinated with QIV HD in the upcoming influenza season 2021-22. |
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IFA Joins Every Breath Counts Coalition |
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IFA is a new member of the Every Breath Counts Coalition, which supports national governments in ending pneumonia deaths. Over the last two decades, mortality due to pneumonia has steeply increased amongst older adults. There is a need to increase uptake rates of pneumonia vaccination for the most vulnerable populations. IFA supports Every Breath Counts in reducing the global burden of pneumonia and prioritizing vaccination throughout life to maximize health and well-being. |
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Are you interested in joining the Coalition?
Visit the new Vaccines4Life website to submit an expression of interest.
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Follow adult vaccination at the IFA |
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