Strengthening Multistakeholder Country-level Engagement to Advocate for Adult Pertussis Vaccination

Given the rapid ageing of the world’s population and with the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing in motion, now is the time to prioritize and drive action towards the maintenance and improvement of the health and functional ability of older people.  Life in later years can often be dominated by poor health, social isolation, and dependency on care which can have a number of significant negative consequences for older adults and society as a whole.  It also adds further stress to an over-burdened health care system that negatively impacts the quality and years of life for older people around the world.

While infant and childhood pertussis vaccination programmes are often evident in national programme, there is increasing need to recognize the serious complications of pertussis for adults, especially those who are aged 65 years and over.  Older people are at higher risk for adverse health outcomes and can become a source of transmission upon infection.  Since the immunity elicited by childhood vaccinations can wane over time and fail to provide life-long protection, there has been a global resurgence of pertussis in all populations. The absence of reliable data, as well as the general lack of knowledge of the disease has become a major hindrance to having the issue of pertussis vaccines on the agenda for the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAGs).  There is a need for greater awareness of the benefit of pertussis vaccinations through targeted public health messages among older people and health care professionals.  More importantly, it is imperative to make the case for adult pertussis vaccination programs to be included within national health plans.

This webinar aims to bridge the significant gap in knowledge of the life-altering consequences of pertussis and raise the awareness on the value of adult pertussis vaccination. It also serves as a platform for knowledge exchange by bringing various perspectives to the forefront so that pertussis is on the agenda for patient, ageing and professional organizations to influence change in adult pertussis vaccination policy and consequently, improve vaccine uptake rates.