It’s been over two-and-a-half years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the roll-out of mass vaccination programmes, there should be an end in sight for this devastating public health crisis. But with much attention still being on COVID-19 vaccines, the International Longevity Centre (ILC) warns other key vaccination programmes must not be forgotten.

In particular, the ILC urges people to come forward for their free flu and pneumococcal vaccinations as temperatures are dropping and many households risk falling ill amid the cost-of-living crisis.

• World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics suggest over 25 million infants have missed out on getting childhood vaccinations.
• In London and New York, cases of polio have re-emerged, highlighting the dangers of complacency and not taking preventative measures to prevent diseases.
• First-dose coverage of a measles-containing vaccine has fallen by 5% globally since 2019, while second-dose coverage has plateaued.
• Millions of teenagers were unable to attend school during much of 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, meaning they were unable to receive information about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination or the vaccine itself. In the UK, HPV vaccination has dropped by more than 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

A key public health focus must be to ensure people receive the vaccinations they missed during the pandemic and come forward for seasonal flu and pneumococcal vaccination, urges ILC, the UK’s specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society.

Patrick Swain, Senior Research and Policy Officer at ILC and Coordinator for the Coalition for Life Course Immunisation (CLCI) states:

“Pandemic lockdowns and social distancing reduced the capacity of health services and severely affected the delivery of crucial life course immunisations. As a result of being unable to receive routine vaccinations, many people have been put at greater risk, especially younger age groups. Vaccines are vital because they give our populations the immunity boost needed to protect them against severe disease.”

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For further information see ILC’s latest blog by Patrick Swain, Senior Research and Policy Officer at ILC and Coordinator for the Coalition for Life Course Immunisation (CLCI) Vaccination has been vital during Covid-19 – let’s not forget the role of vaccines beyond this pandemic – ILCUK

ILC is currently conducting a programme of work on vaccine confidence in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE). As part of this project, we are looking to speak with stakeholders from the region to develop an informed policy report, outlining the challenges, opportunities and policy recommendations for CEE countries. For more information, click here. This project has been made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer and is being produced in partnership with the Coalition for Life Course Immunisation and the ILC Europe Network.

ILC’s Healthy Ageing and Prevention Index, which will be launched alongside the 76th World Health Assembly next year, aims to hold governments to account by ranking them on key healthy ageing indicators. For more information see: Delivering prevention in an ageing world – ILCUK