On March 12, EFA launched a 10-point Manifesto calling the EU for more action to increase seasonal influenza vaccination coverage rates in Europe. Influenza is annually responsible for 650 thousand deaths worldwide.
Since November 2017, EFA is an active member of the Steering Group on Influenza Vaccination, a joint action co-chaired by Member of the European Parliament Françoise Grossetête, and Prof Thomas Szucs, Director of the European Centre of Pharmaceutical Medicine at the University of Basel, and composed of seven other representatives including healthcare professionals and academics. EFA is the patient representative in the Steering Group.
We invite you to sign the Manifesto here: http://eufightingflu.com/
The Manifesto will be presented in a public event next April 24, with the participation of Mr Xavier Prats Monné, Director-General for Health and Food Safety. Registrations are open here.
Vaccines and respiratory disease
Vaccines are particularly important for people living with chronic diseases, such asthma and COPD. In particular, evidence foresees a positive benefit-risk ratio for seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with asthma and COPD, and therefore encourages current vaccination recommendations within these patients.
At EFA we are conscious that allergic reactions can be life threatening despite they occur very rarely. Therefore we advocate for access to safe vaccines to all patients with possible allergic reactions to vaccines, as well as to patients with other allergic diseases who may have concerns about receiving specific vaccines.
Unfortunately, a rather general information (and misinformation) on vaccination is leading to the decrease of public confidence in vaccination programmes. However, patients are more vulnerable to the public health consequences of vaccine hesitancy. For EFA, information around vaccines should be made more specific to different patients' needs.
Our response to the Commission consultation on vaccine preventable diseases
In March, we have also responded to the European Commission 'Public Consultation on strengthened cooperation against vaccine preventable diseases' highlighting the above concerns.
