Conference on childhood immunisation: progress, challenges and priorities for further action

This conference, organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Consumers, was an opportunity to take stock of the recent initiatives on childhood immunisation taken by the EU – including the follow-up to the Council conclusions on childhood immunisation adopted in June 2011. In addition, the conference provided a platform to discuss priority areas for future EU-level action on childhood immunisation with a wide range of stakeholders.

• Programme
• Summary report

Presentations

• A parent’s testimony about the consequences of measles infection and the responsibility of parents towards other children - Parents Max Schönbohm
• The Commission’s follow-up to the Council Conclusions on childhood immunisation - John-F Ryan, acting Director Public Health, DG SANCO
• The economic case for strengthening immunisation programmes - Mark Jit – Health Protection Agency, UK
  Examples of good practice on strengthening immunisation programmes
  • Denmark (Kåre Mølbak – Statens Serum Institute)
  • Cyprus (Elena Papamichael, Paediatrician – Neonatalogist 1st Medical Officer)
• How to improve vaccination programme monitoring - Pier-Luigi Lopalco – ECDC
• The importance of EU collaboration on monitoring immunisation programmes - Fortunato Paolo D’Ancona – VENICE
• The 2015 measles and rubella elimination target for the WHO European Region: indicators and verification process - Dina Pfeifer - WHO Euro
• The 3 C’s of vaccination: complacency, confidence, and convenience - Robb Butler – WHO Euro
• ECDC resources to support effective communication on vaccination - Ulla-Karin Nurm - ECDC
• A paediatrician’s experience in responding to parent’s concerns about vaccines
  Alberto Tozzi - Paediatrician
  Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
• PROMOVAX – promoting vaccination among migrant populations in Europe - Pania Karnaki - Prolepsis, Greece
• Building effective partnerships between Roma communities and local authorities to improve access to childhood immunization - Zoran Bikovski - NGO ‘Kham’, Macedonia
• Recommended elements for inclusion in immunisation cards or health booklets - Niklas Danielsson - ECDC
  Information resources for healthcare professionals on immunisation schedules and vaccines in EU countries and ways to address language barriers
• Tarik Derrough - ECDC / Agnès Saint-Raymond - EMA
• Rapporteur’s report on the panel discussion ‘How to improve the vaccination offer?’ - Antoon Gijsens, DG SANCO
• Rapporteur’s report on the panel discussion ‘Strategies for improving awareness and trust in public’ - Germain Thinus, DG SANCO
• Rapporteur’s report on the panel discussion ‘How to strengthen the role of healthcare professionals on advocating vaccination?’ - Daniel Brasseur, Chair EMA Paediatric Committee, Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products, Belgium

Other interesting links

• EAHC press conference: Why is it important to be vaccinated? Lessons learned from outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, 15-16 October 2012
• ECDC videos on vaccination

Questions?

For more information, please contact us at Sanco-immunisationec [dot] europa [dot] eu (Sanco-immunisation[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).