In line with the objectives of the Council Recommendation on strengthened cooperation against vaccine-preventable diseases, adopted on 7 December 2018, this new Coalition is aiming “to bring together European associations of healthcare workers as well as relevant students´ associations in the field, to commit to delivering accurate information to the public, combating myths and exchanging best practice”.
On the occasion of the first meeting of the Coalition, held on 4 March 2019, aiming to discuss the creation of the Coalition and to reach agreement on the most appropriate structure, scope, governance and general objectives of it, and which brought together the Presidents of the three main Professional Associations (doctors, nurses and pharmacists), committing, advocating and joining forces for vaccination, Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, answered the question: “Why strengthen vaccination in Europe?”, while DG Sante Director General Anne Bucher addressed the topic “Towards a Coalition for Vaccination in Europe – needs and impact”.
Invited as keynote speaker, next to CPME former President, Jacques de Haller and Michal Byliniak, President of PGEU, Elizabeth Adams, EFN President, stressed the importance of nurses’ contribution to frontline impact. The EFN members best practices cannot be ignored! It should, instead, be unscaled and financially supported with the Public Health Programme, in 2019. As such, the work carried out by the Coalition at EU level needs to be transposed and replicated at national level.
Despite the demonstrated benefits of many kinds of vaccination it remains a controversial issue largely due to misinformation, restricted access, health illiteracy and cost. The consequences of low uptakes of certain kinds of vaccination can be damaging to the health and economic welfare of vulnerable citizens across Europe, and by extension to their families and wider communities. Nurses are the frontline staff largely responsible for delivering safe and effective vaccination programmes to communities across Europe, yet rarely get formal recognition for this life-saving endeavour.