New Coalition Calls for More Effective Adult Immunisation Strategies During European Union's 2012 Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity Between Generations

Paris (ots/PRNewswire) -

An expert group of European public health advocates and
professionals has
        created a dedicated partnership entitled SAATI - Supporting 
Active Ageing Through
     Immunisation - to encourage comprehensive adult immunisation 
policies in order to reduce
                     the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases in
Europe.

A newly-formed group of key European partners - SAATI (Supporting
Active Ageing Through Immunisation) announced their commitment to
tackle low public awareness of the risk and burden of
vaccine-preventable diseases in older adults.

To view the SAATI Consensus Statement on Barriers & Call to
Action, please click:

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/SAATI/53748/
[http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/SAATI/53748 ]

During the European Union's (EU) 2012 Year for Active Ageing and
Solidarity between Generations, SAATI will engage with policy makers
and other stakeholders to examine how vaccination, as a prevention
strategy, should be part of an age-based health approach throughout
all phases of life. Currently, vaccination policy is patchy and
mainly considers the very young, the very old or those in at-risk
groups.

"We are taking advantage of the EU's focus on Active Ageing to
underline the need to review European policies, practices and
communication around adult vaccination," stated Professor Javier
Garau, SAATI Chair and former President of ESCMID. "Vaccination is a
particularly relevant health strategy for adults since the immune
system weakens as we get older, and this increases our risk of
contracting serious yet vaccine-preventable diseases, such as flu and
pneumococcal disease. In addition, the symptoms and impact of these
diseases are often poorly understood by the general public. Unlike
with infants, there are no comprehensive or consistent guidelines for
adult immunisation, and we believe this is one of the major barriers
to reducing preventable and sometimes fatal illnesses."

Across Europe, pneumonia alone is estimated to cost over 10
billion Euros in direct and indirect costs annually.[1] This should
be a concern for European policy makers, not only because of Europe's
ageing society but equally due to pressures all governments are
facing to better manage the costs of healthcare and social welfare.

"Immunisation is not just for children, but is essential across
the life course. We need to normalise immunisation as an important
part of healthy ageing. Comprehensive adult vaccination strategies
would significantly reduce the incidence and burden to individuals,
employers and healthcare systems," said Baroness Sally Greengross,
Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre, United
Kingdom.

The EU has identified healthy ageing as a societal challenge
common to all European countries. As such, it has designated 2012 as
the Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. This
year will provide the opportunity to further investigate the role of
prevention and health management strategies for older adults to
enable them to maintain an active role in society.

At an inaugural planning meeting on 27-28 October 2011, SAATI
partners met to share their views and insights on what constitutes
the main barriers to effective immunisation programmes for adults in
Europe. Despite a broad consensus by EU Health Ministers on the value
of vaccines, adult immunisation rates remain highly unpredictable and
variable. SAATI will be working with a range of other partners to
better understand the root causes and propose policy-related
solutions for the future.

About SAATI

SAATI is a voluntary partnership of European partners who have an
interest in improving the health of citizens as they grow older, and
reducing the incidence of illness through effective immunisation. The
partners include representatives from different perspectives,
including clinicians, health promotion experts, advocacy groups,
nurses, industry, think tanks and healthy ageing specialists. The
group has come together with a commitment to tackle low public
awareness of the risk and burden of vaccine-preventable diseases,
such as pneumococcal disease, in adults. The consensus statement
[http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/SAATI/53748 ] resulted from
the European stakeholder meeting on the Value of and Barriers to
Adult Vaccination organised and funded by Pfizer.

SAATI aims to:

- Increase public and policy maker awareness of the need for 
adult
          vaccinations to combat vaccine-preventable diseases, such 
as flu, pneumonia, invasive
          pneumococcal disease, pertussis, diphtheria, herpes zoster 
and tetanus
        - Leverage EU Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between 
Generations to
          promote better public health communication on the value of 
vaccines and the need for
          supportive age-based national health policies

SAATI Partners:

- Prof. Javier Garau - SAATI Chair and former President of 
ESCMID; Associate
          Prof. of Medicine, University of Barcelona; Head of 
Department of Medicine, Hospital
          Universitari Mutua de Terrassa, Barcelona - Spain
        - Mr. David Sinclair, Assistant Director, Policy and 
Communications, The
          International Longevity Centre - UK
        - Prof. Roberto Bernabei, Head of Geriatric Institute of 
Catholic University -
          Rome; President, Agency for Healthy Ageing - Italy
        - Prof. Hartmut M Lode, Head, Research Centre for Medical 
Studies, Institute for
          Clinical Pharmacology, Charite - Universitatsmedizin 
Berlin-Germany
        - Dr. Jean-Paul Stahl, Head of Infectious Disease Dept, 
Centre Hospitalier
          Universitaire de Grenoble - France
        - Ms. Michele Lawrence, Consultant Nurse in Health Protection
& Director MMidas
          LTD - UK
        - Prof. David Taylor, University of London School of Pharmacy
- Public Health &
          Policy - UK
        - Dr. Daphne Holt, Vice President, Confederation of 
Meningitis Organisations
          (COMO)
        - Ms. Christine Rolland, Vice President, European Federation 
Of Allergy and
          Airway Diseases Patients Association (EFA)
        - Dr. Ian Banks, President, European Men's Health Forum 
(EMHF)
        - Ms. Hildrun Sundseth, Member of the Board, The European 
Institute of Women's
          Health (EIWH)
        - Ms. Katharina Braun, Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der 
Senioren-Organisationen
          e.V. (BAGSO), Bonn - Germany
        - Ms. Sylvie St-Laurent, Senior Director, International 
Public Affairs, Pfizer
          PIO

About the European Year for Active Ageing & Solidarity between
Generations

2012 is the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between
Generations. This year provides a platform for policy-makers and
stakeholders to reflect on how Europeans are living longer and
staying healthier than ever before - and to realise the opportunities
it represents for them to:

- stay in the workforce and share their experience -
keep playing an active role in society - live as healthy and
fulfilling lives as possible.

It is also key to maintaining solidarity between generations in
societies with rapidly increasing numbers of older people.

The challenge for politicians and stakeholders will be to improve
opportunities for active ageing in general and for living
independently, acting in areas as diverse as employment, health care,
social services, adult learning, volunteering, housing, IT services
or transport.

The European Year seeks to raise awareness of the issues and the
best ways of dealing with them. But most of all it seeks to encourage
all policymakers and stakeholders to set themselves goals and take
action to meet them. 2012 should go beyond debating; it should start
bringing tangible results.

For Further Information:

http://europa.eu/ey2012/ [http://europa.eu/ey2012 ]

References

1) Welte T. et al. Clinical and economic burden of 
community-acquired
          pneumonia in adults. Thorax. 2012;(67):71-79.

Video: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/SAATI/53748

Rückfragehinweis:
Media Contact: International Longevity Centre, Jessica Watson,
[email protected], +44-(0)207-340-0440, +44-(0)7828-201-060
(mobile)

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