Moving the margins: Improving adult pneumococcal vaccine uptake in marginalised groups
About
The COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a harsh reminder of the importance of vaccination among marginalised and underserved groups. Indeed, the UK has witnessed a surge in flu vaccination across the board. But there is a worry that the pandemic has had little impact on increasing pneumococcal vaccine uptake and that countries will yet again, miss the mark and forget to prioritise the pneumococcal vaccine particularly for those most at-risk.
Pneumococcal disease can strike quickly and without warning, and can cause pneumonia, sepsis, or meningitis. Marginalised and underserved groups have historically been the least likely to get vaccinated against infectious diseases, and the pneumococcal vaccine is no exception. Lower uptake across those aged 65 or over has been seen among ethnic minorities, people living in rural communities, those from low-income households, and those with lower educational attainment.
Evidence suggests that working alongside marginalised communities, fostering trust, producing culturally appropriate health material, and making it convenient to access vaccination sites, all have a role to play in improving uptake of vaccines. Nevertheless, there is little evidence showcasing the different approaches countries have taken to specifically improve uptake of pneumococcal vaccine in marginalised groups, suggesting that these groups are often forgotten in pneumococcal immunisation policy responses. Targeting marginalised groups is crucial if we want to address persistent health inequalities and to improve overall pneumococcal uptake.
This project has been commissioned and funded by Pfizer.
Upcoming events
Report launch: Moving the Margins: Improving pneumococcal vaccine uptake in marginalised groups
Dates: Thursday, 1 December 2022
Location: Virtual
Time: 12:00pm–1:00pm GMT (7:00am EST, 1:00pm CET, 9:00pm ACT)
Join us for the launch of our new report where we will share findings on how we can influence change and improve adult pneumococcal vaccine uptake in marginalised groups across Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and US.
Marginalised and underserved groups have historically been the least likely to be vaccinated against infectious diseases, and the pneumococcal vaccine is no exception. Yet there is very little existing literature on inequalities in adult pneumococcal vaccine. And despite the COVID-19 pandemic having acted as a harsh reminder of the importance of adult vaccination equity, there is a worry that countries will miss the mark and forget to invest more greatly into adult vaccination equity.
As an attendee, you will play an active role, contributing to the discussion alongside other experts in health and immunisation, to identify what needs to happen next to raise the profile of inequalities in adult pneumococcal vaccination in your country and ensure that tackling inequalities is at the heart of immunisation policy moving forward.
Moving the Margins: Improving pneumococcal vaccine uptake in marginalised groups
Read our report published on Thursday 1 December 2022 on how we can influence change and improve adult pneumococcal vaccine uptake in marginalised groups across Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and US.
Focus groups
As part of this research project, we are looking to speak with pneumococcal vaccine and immunisation policy experts from seven different countries: the UK, Germany, US, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Please see below for more details about each focus group, which will all be held virtually.
UK focus group
Date: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Time: 2.00pm – 3.30pm BST
Germany focus group
Date: Tuesday, 3 May 2022
Time: 2.00pm – 3.30pm BST (3.00pm – 4.30pm CEST)
US focus group
Date: Thursday, 5 May 2022
Time: 2.00pm – 3.30pm BST (9.00am – 10.30am EDT)
Canada focus group
Date: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
Time: 4.00pm – 5.30pm BST (11.00am – 12.30pm EDT)
Japan focus group
Date: Friday, 13 May 2022
Time: 10.00am – 11.30am BST (6.00pm – 7.30pm JST)
South Korea focus group
Date: Tuesday, 17 May 2022
Time: 9.00am – 10.30am BST (5.00pm – 6.30pm KST)
Australia focus group
Date: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Time: 9.00am – 10.30am BST (6.00pm – 7.30pm AEST)
If you are interested in joining a focus group, please email Arunima Himawan.
Interviews
In addition to focus groups, we will be conducting interviews throughout May 2022.
If you are interested in taking part in an interview to discuss this topic, please email Arunima Himawan.
Get in touch
To find out more about this project, please contact ArunimaHimawan@ilcuk.org.uk or PatrickSwain@ilcuk.org.uk.