Brussels, 14/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - A group of MEPs, headed by Rebecca Taylor (ALDE, UK) and Petru Luhan (EPP, Romania), in association with the members of the Supporting Active Ageing Through Immunisation (SAATI) partnership, called at an event organised at the European Parliament on 13 November for the creation of a European platform for health and vaccination. The members of the partnership presented a report underlining the economic benefits that would come from more widespread vaccination campaigns for adults. “With an ageing society, healthcare systems must do better at preventing and promoting good health. The role of adult immunisation in this respect is not currently sufficiently recognised”, Luhan said. Taylor put in: “As policymakers, we must develop and implement policies that benefit as many people as possible. The findings from the SAATI study demonstrate the need to re-think our approach to immunisation and implement more comprehensive strategies than is the case at present”.
The report considers the situation in 27 member states for adult vaccination, in particular for seven vaccine-preventable diseases - seasonal influenza, pneumonia, invasive pneumococcal disease, pertussis, diphtheria, herpes zoster and tetanus. It turns out that policies implemented vary considerably from one member state to the next. According to SAATI, a more rigorous vaccination policy for adults would allow health complications to be prevented and would promote healthy ageing in the European Union. “Both policymakers and the public must be made aware that investing in life-course immunisation is a smart option on both a personal and a societal level. Used as a prevention strategy, immunisation can tackle the high burden of infectious diseases facing society and healthcare systems globally, and enable people to stay healthy longer”, said Professor Javier Garau, the SAATI Partnership president. (IL/transl.jl)