Steering Group on Prevention of Respiratory Infections

Despite the availability of safe and effective immunisation tools, respiratory infections like flu, RSV, COVID-19 and pneumococcal disease remain among the most common infectious diseases in Europe. These infections pose a significant and evolving threat to public health in Europe, affecting a range of at-risk groups including older adults, young children, pregnant people and those with underlying health conditions such as chronic respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic or kidney diseases. Their cumulative burden, combined with rising health threats and mounting pressure on health systems, underlines the urgent need for stronger prevention and preparedness.

  • 1 in 5 Europeans are infected each year with influenza. The disease is associated with an estimated 70,000 deaths annually across Europe.
  • In the case of COVID-19, since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been over 274 million confirmed cases and approximately 1.6 million excess deaths across Europe between 2020 and 2023.
  • RSV affects all populations but can be particularly serious for infants, older adults and those with chronic health conditions. Each year in Europe, it leads to around 213,000 hospitalisations in children under 5 and approximately 158,000 hospitalisations in adults aged 65 and above.
  • Pneumococcal disease is a leading cause of pneumonia and can progress to invasive forms such as bloodstream infections, which carry a higher risk of death. In the EU 17,700 confirmed cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) were reported in 2022.

Our call to action

Despite the growing recognition of the burden of respiratory infections, Europe is falling short on respiratory infection prevention. This is why the Steering Group on Prevention of Respiratory Infections is calling for a new Council Recommendation on the value of immunisation against respiratory infections.

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Who we are

The Steering Group on Prevention of Respiratory Infections is a group of policymakers, academics, scientists, patient group representatives, healthcare workers and civil society, and industry representatives advocating for increased immunisation uptake for respiratory infections in Europe.

The Co-Chairs of the Steering Group on Prevention of Respiratory Infections are:

  • Dolors Montserrat, Member of the European Parliament (European People’s Party, Spain) and former Minister of Health in Spain
  • Colin Russell, PhD, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, and Chair of ESWI

 

The Steering Group’s activities are supported by Vaccines Europe.

Acumen Public Affairs acts as the Secretariat of the Steering Group and can be contacted at respiratorySG@acumenpa.com

EU Flu Day

On 14 October 2020, the first annual EU Flu Day was launched. The campaign seeks to highlight the importance of vaccination against respiratory viruses and to address challenges to the sustainable increase of flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccination coverage rates in Europe as a critical public health measure for healthcare systems sustainability.

It is a call to action for European citizens – particularly healthcare workers and at-risk groups – to raise awareness of the need to be vaccinated against respiratory viruses and protect themselves and those around them. Vaccination is also critical to reducing the burden on national health care systems. The campaign is being organised with the support of Vaccines Europe and spearheaded by Dolors Montserrat, a Member of the European Parliament (EPP, Spain) and Co-Chair of the Steering Group.

EU Flu Day 2024

The first annual EU Flu Day was organised to mark 10 years since the Council Recommendation on Seasonal Influenza Vaccination. Since the adoption of the Council Recommendation on Seasonal Influenza Vaccination in 2009, Europe has not only seen limited progress on flu vaccination, but also gone through a pandemic caused by another respiratory virus, COVID-19, as well as a surge in the public health burden of RSV.

Now, 15 years after its adoption, and as we begin a new institutional mandate in the European Parliament and Commission, it is timely to reflect on how the 2009 Council Recommendation should be updated to reflect this new landscape.

The 2024 edition of EU Flu Day brought together policymakers, academics, health professionals, and industry leaders, to discuss the importance of data surveillance and digitalisation in achieving 75% vaccination uptake for flu as well as for RSV and COVID-19.

By collecting and publishing harmonised data on flu, COVID-19, and RSV in a timely manner, the EU can better understand and address barriers to vaccination. Digital tools such as electronic vaccination registries are also an essential resources for improving vaccine confidence and supporting data-driven public health actions.

Watch the recording here.

EU Flu Day 2023

On 11 October 2023, for the fourth edition of EU Flu Day, around 100 people gathered in person and online to participate in the event at the European Parliament. Kindly hosted by MEP István Ujhelyi (S&D, Hungary), as well as with the participation of MEP Dolors Montserrat (EPP, Spain), the event brought together healthcare players and policymakers to discuss how to increase flu vaccination uptake and better protect people in Europe from seasonal influenza.

In that spirit, the Steering Group on Influenza Vaccination issued a set of set of 9 Policy Recommendations for EU and national governments. The recommendations detail different ways regional, national and European policymakers can support HCPs’ important work in boosting flu vaccine uptake.

Watch the full event recording here and check out the highlight reel below.

EU Flu Day 2022

EU Flu Day 2021

EU Flu Day 2020

EU MANIFESTO
EVENTS

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