Agencies call for joint efforts to safely deliver routine immunization and proceed with vaccination campaigns against deadly vaccine-preventable diseases. 

COVID 19 is disrupting life-saving immunization services around the world, putting millions of children – in rich and poor countries alike – at risk of diseases like diphtheria, measles and polio. This stark warning comes from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance ahead of the Global Vaccine Summit on 4 June, at which world leaders will come together to help maintain immunization programmes and mitigate the impact of the pandemic in lower-income countries.

According to data collected by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Gavi and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, provision of routine immunization services is substantially hindered in at least 68 countries and is likely to affect approximately 80 million children under the age of 1 living in these countries.

A total of 13 200 measles cases were reported by the EU/EEA countries and the UK in 2019. In addition, approximately 1 000 measles cases were reported in the first two months of 2020. Cases were reported in all age groups. This highlights the importance of continuous efforts to improve routine childhood immunisation programmes and address immunity gaps in the population. The most recent ECDC Measles Annual Epidemiological Report published today shows that in 2019, a total of 13 200 cases were reported by the EU/EEA countries and the UK.

Missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) include any contact made with health services by a child (or adult) who is eligible for vaccination, but which does not result in the individual receiving all the vaccine doses for which he or she is eligible. Today we are vaccinating more children than ever, yet millions of children still miss out on routine vaccinations. National immunization programmes continue to seek evidence-based strategies to understand the underlying reasons and to design tailored approaches to address them. 

5 February 2020, Geneva. Forty-eight speakers, including 38 delegates from the Member States, three observers and seven non-state actor organizations took the floor during the 146th Executive Board (EB) discussion on the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and two corresponding decisions: “Strengthening global immunization efforts to leave no one behind” and “Meningitis prevention and control”. This marks a historic engagement at the EB on the GVAP agenda and an important step in preparing for the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA).

Vaccination policy is a competence of national authorities, but the European Commission assists EU countries in coordinating their policies and programmes. The Council adopted in December 2018 a Recommendation to strengthen the EU cooperation on vaccine-preventable diseases. The initiative aims to tackle vaccine hesitancy, improve coordination on vaccine procurement, support research and innovation, and strengthen EU cooperation on vaccine-preventable diseases. 

In the report, we assess the overall state of confidence in vaccines among the public in all 28 EU member states and among general practitioners (GP) in ten EU member states. As vaccine confidence varies by vaccine, confidence is assessed for vaccines in general as well as for the measles and seasonal influenza vaccines, in order to reflect vaccines targeting different population groups. Confidence in (and demand for) vaccines is influenced by a number of factors, including the importance, safety, and effectiveness of vaccines. To examine the extent of public and GP confidence in vaccines, we have conducted the largest ever study on attitudes to vaccines and vaccination in the EU. We report a number of key findings. We find that most age groups under 65 surveyed have less confidence in the safety and importance of both the MMR and seasonal influenza vaccines (and vaccines generally) than over 65’s.