The Coalition for Vaccination reaffirms the theme of the annual European Immunization Week by the WHO Regional Office for Europe: “For every generation, vaccines work”.
Our Coalition is concerned that the success of vaccine protection may be in danger, due to vaccine hesitancy, vaccine shortages, misinformation and disinformation, and structural barriers to access within healthcare systems. Losing protection could have dangerous consequences for individuals and population groups.
The Coalition members, representing European associations of healthcare professionals and students, support the campaign that aims to:
- Highlight how vaccines have safely protected people, families and communities – and continue to safeguard our future;
- Equip healthcare professionals with the skills and tools to communicate clearly and compassionately about vaccines, helping families who are hesitant or have questions to feel informed, heard and confident in their immunisation decisions;
- Strengthen public understanding of the science behind vaccine safety and effectiveness, enabling individuals, families and communities to make informed immunisation decisions; and
- Reinforce trust by highlighting transparency, accountability and ongoing innovation in immunisation, and emphasise the shared responsibility to protect future generations through continued investment, research and equitable access to vaccines.
The Coalition for Vaccination supports the European Commission’s continued work, alongside Member States, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and European Medicines Agency (EMA), to:
- Provide clear, accessible, and evidence-based information
- Actively counter misinformation and disinformation
- Support national vaccination strategies based on scientific evidence
- Provide adequate education and continuing professional development for healthcare professionals,
- Monitor the performance of immunisation programmes
- Advance a European digital vaccination card Improve transparency in vaccine approval processes
- Strengthen independent, national and EU-wide vaccine safety surveillance.