The burden of infection extends beyond the initial illness to complications, hospitalizations, antibiotic use, long-term deterioration, and sustained pressure on already stretched health systems, along with broader societal impacts like transmission, caregiving burden, sick leave, and productivity losses.
This necessitates a policy shift: immunization should be integrated across disease prevention, healthy aging, cancer, cardiovascular, AMR, and brain health strategies, rather than viewed in isolation.
By preventing infection upfront, immunization addresses the root cause and contributes to tackling major health challenges while enhancing resilience across systems and societies. Its value is both long-term and immediate.
Consider RSV. Europe now possesses tools to prevent a substantial share of severe infections, with immediate impact when implemented at scale. In Ireland’s initial national immunization season, uptake surpassed 80 percent, protecting about 22,500 infants. Cases fell by 65 percent, hospitalizations by 76 percent, and intensive care admissions by 65 percent.
This necessitates a policy shift: immunization should be integrated across disease prevention, healthy aging, cancer, cardiovascular, AMR, and brain health strategies, rather than viewed in isolation.
Within a single winter, this resulted in hundreds of hospital beds freed, reduced ICU pressure, and immediate relief for overstretched pediatric services.
Applied to other member states, this could result in thousands of hospitalizations avoided and significant system capacity released within a single season.
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