About
How many vaccines did you and your family receive as infants? How about in adulthood?
We know that around the world, millions of years are spent in poor health and disability every year as a result of conditions that are vaccine-preventable.
This creates problems for governments, economies, workforces, and families. From an individual missing a relative’s birthday celebration due to illness, all the way up to the $12.5 trillion USD loss to the global economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the costs of failing to prevent disease are enormous, varied, and in many cases avoidable.
This global project brings together the latest evidence on vaccine cost-effectiveness which will support decision-making for health and finance leaders. Health spending at present is binary: spending on X is a choice not to spend on Y. Therefore, there must be a strong rationale and body of evidence to support dedicating resources to preventative interventions such as vaccination. This project synthesises that evidence and aims to influence G7, G20, World Health Assembly, UN High-Level Meetings, and World Bank/IMF global events to make the case for life course vaccination.
This project is kindly supported by:
Publications
To develop our thinking and build the case for immunisation’s cost-effectiveness, we have disseminated these publications.
This slide deck synthesises the evidence we initially presented at the G7 and G20 in Japan and India respectively.
Throughout this programme of work we will use our Global Discussion Paper and Evidence Pack to engage governments, health and finance leaders, and other high-level stakeholders on the socioeconomic value of immunisation.
These resources are intended to give a clear, accessible overview of how immunisation can benefit communities and countries through prevention of acute ill health, and all the additional burdens that ill health brings.
Upcoming events
18 – 20 April 2024
G20 Finance and World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, Washington DC
We are planning a high-level side event to bring the longevity debate to this week of global meetings in Washington DC. To learn more about the event and register your interest, please contact project lead Esther McNamara.
Past events
10/05/2023
G7 high-level side event in Niigata: Healthy ageing and prevention
Alongside the 2023 meeting of G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, the ILC held a high-level side event as an opportunity to set out priorities for healthy ageing. Preventing ill health through immunisation is a key intervention for Japan and other states at the sharp end of demographic change. We presented this programme of work alongside our Healthy Ageing and Prevention Index.
23/05/2023
Leaving no one behind: Progress on Life Course Immunisation Roundtable – alongside the World Health Assembly
The WHO Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) sets out “A Global Strategy to Leave No One Behind”, with an action plan which focuses on the importance of life-course immunisation. The IA2030 goals are designed to inspire action for implementation and support efforts to improve health security, universal health coverage, access and equity for immunization and innovation.
During the event, we explored how we can best:
- Prioritise life course immunisation as a key pillar of expanded prevention strategies and a central component of universal health coverage.
- Remove barriers to access for appropriate immunisation to ensure all people are protected and no one is left behind.
- Reduce inequities in timely, appropriate, and affordable access to immunisation throughout life.
16/08/2023
G20 high-level side event in India: Unlocking the benefits of healthy ageing and prevention – joint event with ILC-India
Alongside the G20 Health Ministers’ meeting in Gandhinagar, India, in August, ILC-India and ILC-UK held a joint high-level side event to amplify the importance of healthy ageing and prevention among the G20.
Speakers at this event included:
- Stephen Hickling, Deputy High Commissioner to Gujarat and Rajasthan, British Deputy High Commission
- Arunima Himawan, Senior Health Research Lead, ILC-UK
- Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Director, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
- Esther McNamara, Senior Health Policy Lead, ILC-UK
- Dr Surjit Singh, Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Paediatric Immunology
- Shri Jayant Umranikar, Chair, ILC-India
19/09/2023
High-level roundtable alongside UN High-Level Meetings: The role of immunisation in pandemic preparedness and universal health coverage
During this high-level roundtable, we convened a range of expert stakeholders to discuss:
- What must health leaders do to ensure that immunisation across the life course is integrated into pandemic preparedness strategies?
- How can policymakers build capacity and infrastructure to deliver vaccination and tackle inequalities of access?
- How can we maximise the uptake of life-course vaccinations?
- How can we convince health stakeholders to invest more in preventative health?
We want to hear from you
If you would like to get involved in this project or have any questions about our adult immunisation work, please contact project lead Esther McNamara.