Turning the tide on cardiovascular diseases 

Blog by Laurent Louette, Director Public Affairs & Country Liaison at Vaccines Europe

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) claim over 1.8 million lives across Europe every year [1]. Behind this number are millions of people living with the daily realities of heart disease – some 62 million Europeans whose health challenges ripple through families, workplaces, and communities [2]. CVD also has a major societal and economic impact, costing €210 billion each year due to strain on health systems and lost productivity. [1]. At a moment when strengthening Europe’s competitiveness is central to the EU’s economic and strategic agenda, these figures are far more than statistics, they are a considerable challenge for to Europe’s resilience.  

The recognition of immunisation as a core pillar of prevention in the European Commission’s Safe Hearts Plan is an important step towards improving cardiovascular health in Europe. The call for a Council Recommendation on respiratory infections, including flu, COVID-19, RSV and pneumococcal, as well as herpes zoster, represents a unique opportunity to close immunisation gaps, improve people’s health and contribute to Europe’s resilience. 

CVD does not only threaten the heart. As highlighted in the manifesto of the Steering Group on Prevention of Respiratory Infections, it makes people more vulnerable to severe complications from respiratory infections such as influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and pneumococcal disease [3][4]. At the same time, infections like these can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, even in people who have never had heart disease before [5]. 

Yet immunisation programmes remain critically underutilised in tackling CVD. Evidence shows that vaccines against major respiratory infections substantially reduce severe illness, hospitalisation, and mortality, especially among high-risk groups [6] [7]. For example, in people with a diagnosis of CVD, influenza vaccination can reduce acute exacerbation of CVD by 51% [8] and lower CVD-related deaths by 33% [9]. These figures underscore the indispensable role of immunisation in protecting Europe’s most vulnerable populations and reducing the burden on health systems. 

Despite this, in most Member States, vaccine uptake for flu never reached the 75% target set out in the 2009 Council Recommendation. Additionally, this Recommendation only addresses seasonal influenza, and it no longer reflect the realities of today’s disease landscape and the growing evidence of the impact of respiratory infections on people with CVD. It is therefore vital to have a new Council Recommendation for all four major respiratory infections – flu, COVID-19, RSV and pneumococcal disease – to create a robust, evidence-based framework that ensures effective prevention for all.  

We are concerned that the European Parliament SANT Committee’s draft report on an EU CVD Strategy does not yet reflect the role of immunisation against respiratory infections as a key preventive tool for cardiovascular health. MEPs have now tabled amendments and we hope the final report will: 

– welcome the announced Council Recommendation on vaccination against respiratory infections as a preventive measure for CVDs 
– encourage the Commission, in cooperation with the scientific community, to establish EU-wide immunisation coverage targets across the life course 
– encourage Member States to report immunisation coverage rates annually to the ECDC and integrate immunisation, including coverage targets, into national CVD plans. 

Europe stands at a point where health, economic stability, and long-term resilience are increasingly interconnected. Addressing the combined burden of cardiovascular disease and preventable respiratory infections is an essential step in protecting citizens and supporting the EU’s broader strategic goals. 

The EU Safe Hearts Plan offers a unique opportunity to integrate the proven value of immunisation into Europe’s approach to prevention. It can build on the Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers under the EU Beating Cancer Plan and help further close the immunisation gap across Europe. By doing so, the EU can help ensure healthier lives, stronger health systems, and a more resilient Europe. 

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References

[1] Fighting cardiovascular disease – a blueprint for EU action. European Heart Network: https://ehnheart.org/about-cvd/eu-action-on-cvd 

[2] The EU “Healthier Together” Non-Communicable Diseases Initiative. European Commission: https://health.ec.europa.eu 

[3] Toward a Council Recommendation on the value of immunisation against respiratory infections. Steering Group on Prevention of Respiratory Infections: https://www.vaccineseurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Manifesto_SG-on-Prevention-of-Respiratory-Infections.pdf  

[4] Walker et al. Risk of Severe Influenza Among Adults With Chronic Medical Conditions. J Infect Dis. 2020 Jan 2;221(2):183-190. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiz570. PMID: 31678990. 

[5] Kwong et al. Acute Myocardial Infarction after Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Infection. N Engl J Med. 2018 Jan 25;378(4):345-353. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29365305 

[6] Respiratory virus infections and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Vaccines Europe: https://www.vaccineseurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Respiratory-virus-infections-and-CVD-ver-2.pdf  

[7] EU Cardiovascular Health Plan. EFPIA and Vaccines Europe: https://www.vaccineseurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/efpia-ve-position-paper-eu-cvh-plan.pdf  

[8] Jessica Rademacher, Markus Therre, Christopher Alexander Hinze, Felix Buder, Michael Böhm, Tobias Welte, Association of respiratory infections and the impact of vaccinations on cardiovascular diseases, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, Volume 31, Issue 7, May 2024, Pages 877–888, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwae016

[9] Omidi et al. Influenza vaccination and major cardiovascular risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37981651/