MEETING AGENDA

Breaking the infection transmission cycle among all family members at all stages of life 

 

Part of a wider EIP campaign in 2024 covering all ages to increase vaccination rates. Starting from the family transmission cycle and covering children, adolescents, pregnant women, adults as parents, and elders as grandparents.

The overall aim is to increase vaccination coverage in all age groups. Focusing on the role Paediatricians, GPs and all HCPs can play.

Structure and Format: During the Paris Working Group, a series of briefings will be followed by discussion points. 

Melia La Défense – Paris

Hall Eiffel 1 (Floor 19)

 

Friday 1 December 2023 (11:15-15:45)

11:15 -11:25

Opening/Agenda Summary from the Chairs (10 mins)

  • Sir Terence Stephenson, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health (United Kingdom)
  • George Valiotis, Executive Director, European Health Management Association
  • Jane Barratt, Secretary General International Federation on Ageing (IFA)


PART 1 - Family Transmissions

11:25-13:00

Briefing 1: Overview of transmission data between family members - Contribution of Infection transmission among households (SARS, Influenza, RSV, Pneumococcal) in disease prevalence and outbreaks - case studies/overviews (10 mins)

  • Valtýr Stefánsson Thors, Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Children´s Hospital, Barnaspitali Hringsins and Landspitali University Hospital, (Iceland)

Briefing 2: Breaking the transmission cycle among family members: Shingles and RSV vaccines in adults (10 mins)

  • Jean-Pierre Michel, Professor of Medicine Geneva University Medical School (CH)

Briefing 3: The impact on health policies – Increasing family protection/vaccinations and the reduced burden on hospitals and primary care (10 mins)

  • George Valiotis, Executive Director, European Health Management Association (EHMA)

Briefing 4: Family protection as a public health policy and a priority for countries - presenting an opportunity to move towards a Life Course strategy (10 mins)

  • Jaime Jesús Pérez Martín, General Directorate of Public Health and Addictions. Murcia Health Council (Spain)

Discussion: What role can the paediatricians and the GPs play? What needs to happen to support them? (50 mins)

  • How can we better prepare HCPs to step in and speak on the importance of vaccination beyond children?
  • What information, knowledge, and materials do they need to feel comfortable speaking on adult vaccinations?
  • How much do they know about the transmission cycle of infections in terms of the data?

13:00-13:30 Lunch - (30 mins)


PART 2 - Maternal Immunisations

13:30-14:20

Briefing 5: Exploring the importance of maternal vaccinations to the life course vaccination approach, the protection of newborns and breaking family transmission cycles (15 mins)

  • Reviewing which vaccines are essential during pregnancy
  • Exploring RSV in infants and maternal immunisation data
  • Neonatal group B streptococcal (GBS) infection and maternal immunisation - where are we?
  • Maternal vaccinations overview - where we are at, what’s new and where the gaps are

Roy Philip, Consultant Neonatologist University Maternity Hospital Limerick GEMS (IE)

Discussion: What are the main obstacles/barriers to increasing maternal vaccination coverage? How can we overcome them? (35 mins)

  • How can we increase the knowledge about infection-associated risks for mothers and infants?
  • How can we raise awareness about the dangers of not vaccinating, and how can we reassure expectant mothers? 
  • How can we improve the communication of vaccine safety data?

PART 3 – Adult (65+) Immunisation

14:20-15:40

Briefing 6: Introduction and rationale for a focus on adults 65+ in a life course approach to immunisation (5 mins)

  • Jane Barratt, Secretary General International Federation on Ageing (IFA)

Briefing 7: Inequity between coverage rates in children and adults (10 mins)

  • Jean-Pierre Michel, Professor of Medicine Geneva University Medical School (CH)

Briefing 8: Vaccinations that impact chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis and dementia (10 mins)

  • Jean-Pierre Michel, Professor of Medicine Geneva University Medical School (CH)

Briefing 9: Societal and economic importance of vaccines for the whole population including 65+ adults - Barriers and success stories to improve adult vaccination coverage (15 mins)

  • Jane Barratt, Secretary General International Federation on Ageing (IFA)

Discussion: How can we better mobilise the 65+ population to vaccinate to protect themselves and their families? (40 mins)

  • Should we have targeted campaigns for RSV/Shingles, Influenza and Pneumococcal?
  • How can HCPs influence their decisions along government communication through conventional media?
  • How can we leverage the role of influence from other family members, especially their adult children, in taking new vaccines as they become available?

15:40-15:45 – Summary and Close of Summit