Life Course Immunization: Why Lifelong Vaccination is Essential for Public Health

Immunization is a lifelong shield that goes beyond childhood. While pediatric vaccination programs have seen tremendous success, adult and adolescent immunization remains a dangerously overlooked pillar of global health. This critical gap leaves populations vulnerable to preventable diseases, pandemics, and needless suffering at every stage of life.

For decades, vaccination has been rightly celebrated for its role in conquering infectious diseases. A powerful new consensus from the world’s top health organization is expanding its mission: vaccination is a cornerstone of preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDS) like heart attacks, strokes, and diabetic complications. 

The urgency to close this gap has never been greater. This paradigm shift is the driving force behind a new global initiative. 

The 2024 Geneva Accord: A New Strategy for a New Health Reality

In November 2024, a pivotal meeting in Geneva, convened by the world’s most influential health and community NGOs, aimed to address a silent crisis: the alarming decline in adult vaccination rates and its cascading impact on global health. 

The result was a Call to Action: International Health and Community NGOs Advocate for Life-Course Vaccination. This document represents a consensus among organizations representing millions of health professionals and citizens worldwide. It moves the conversation from why life-course immunization is essential to how we must achieve it. Now, with a vital new concept, life-course vaccination is necessary for NCD prevention and healthy aging. 

Supported by a Coalition of Global Health Leaders:

This call to action is endorsed by the following organizations, representing millions of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, public health experts, medical students, and aging advocates worldwide:

• All.Can
• Coalition for Life Course Immunisation (CLCI)
• Global Ageing Network
• International Council of Nurses (ICN)
• International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)
• International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)
• International Federation on Ageing (IFA)
• International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)
• International Pharmaceutical Student’s Federation (IPSF)
• Junior Doctors Network, World Medical Association (JDN, WMA)
• World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA)
• World Medical Association (WMA)
• World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA)

The Growing Immunization Gap: How Vaccines Prevent Chronic Disease

The traditional benefits of vaccination, such as preventing outbreaks, reducing healthcare costs, and protecting the vulnerable, remain critically important. Yet, recent data reveal a concerning decline in vaccination rates, posing a threat to global health security. 

Reports from the WHO, UNICEF, and other bodies show:

• Adult vaccination rates have stagnated or dropped since the pandemic, particularly among aging and at-risk populations.
• Measles outbreaks are resurging in countries where the disease was previously controlled.
• Low uptake of flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines in high-risk groups leads to preventable hospitalizations and deaths, straining healthcare systems.

This evidence underscores the urgent need for the coordinated strategy outlined in the new Call to Action.

What does this mean in practice?

• Influenza & COVID-19 increase heart attacks and strokes: These viral infections cause severe inflammation, which can destabilize arterial plaque, leading to cardiovascular events, risks that vaccinations can reduce. 
• RSV & pneumonia can lead to respiratory decline: In older adults or those with COPD, a severe respiratory infection can result in permanent lung damage and a significant decline in functional health. 
• HPV & cancer: The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a leading cause of cervical, oropharyngeal, and other cancers. HPV vaccination is, quite literally, a form of cancer prevention.
• Shingles & chronic pain: Reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the cause of chickenpox, can lead to debilitating, long-term nerve pain, drastically reducing quality of life.

By preventing the initial infection, vaccines directly prevent the chronic conditions that follow.

The 10-Point Plan: A Roadmap to Integrate Vaccination and NCD Prevention

The coalition’s document provides a clear roadmap. Here are the 10 critical actions it urges advocates and policymakers to implement:

1. Protect Health and Social Care Workers: Ensure they are prioritized to prevent the spread of disease to vulnerable patients.

    

2. Guarantee Equitable Access: Tailor vaccine access to every stage of life, removing financial and logistical barriers.

    

3. Mobilize the Health Workforce: Provide tools and resources for vaccine delivery across all care settings.

    

4. Establish Adult Vaccine Schedules: Develop clear, comprehensive, and equitable vaccination schedules for adults that complement existing pediatric programs.

    

5. Develop Robust Immunization Registries: Implement interoperable systems to track vaccine uptake in real-time.

    

6. Integrate Vaccination with NCD Prevention: Recognize the strategic role of vaccination in preventing complications from non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.

    

7. Expand and Simplify Vaccination Pathways: Make getting vaccinated easier through community-based and mobile clinics.

    

8. Raise Awareness and Build Confidence: Run public campaigns highlighting the value of vaccination throughout one’s life.

    

9. Embed Community Engagement: Involve communities in vaccine program design and development to ensure they meet real needs.

    

10. Leverage the Health Workforce: Empower health professionals, from students to retirees, to be champions for vaccination.

The Tangible Benefits of a Life-Course Immunization Approach

Adopting this framework offers profound advantages that strengthen societies:

• Prevents Deadly Outbreaks: High vaccination coverage across all ages creates a more substantial herd immunity effect, protecting those who can’t be vaccinated.
• Dramatically Reduces Healthcare Costs: Preventing diseases like shingles, pneumonia, and HPV-related cancers lowers hospitalizations, long-term care needs, and lost productivity.
• Protects Vulnerable Populations: A vaccinated community is a safer environment for older people, newborns, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
• Builds Resilient Health Systems: By preventing illness, health systems are less burdened and better able to handle other crises.
• Promotes Healthy Communities: Lifelong immunization supports well-being at every age and helps entire communities live healthier, more active lives. 

From Call to Action to Reality: How We Can All Participate

Implementing this vision requires a commitment from all sectors. The Call to Action provides the blueprint, but we all have a role to play in its implementation.

• Policymakers: Must prioritize funding, establish national adult schedules, and remove regulatory barriers.
• Healthcare Providers: Can integrate vaccine discussions into every routine care visit, for every age group.
• Individuals & Communities: Should stay informed, advocate for access, and get recommended vaccines.
• Organizations: Can sign on to support the call to action and promote their messages internally and externally.

A Healthier Future for All Generations

Life-course immunization is a fundamental right and a shared societal responsibility. We can no longer silo infectious disease and chronic disease efforts. We must unite these two pillars of health.

Life-course immunization is the powerful and practical link that ties it all together. The 2024 Geneva Call to Action provides the definitive framework for achieving this goal. By embracing this strategy, we aren’t just preventing the flu or shingles; we are preventing heart failure, debilitating pain, and cancer. We aim to promote health throughout a person’s lifetime, rather than just treating a specific illness or condition. 

By uniting behind this powerful consensus from the world’s leading health authorities, we can build healthier, more equitable, and more resilient communities for generations to come.

If your organization would like to endorse our Call to Action and join us in this effort, please get in touch with us at secretariat@wfpha.org

Click here to read the full, official Call to Action document supported by international NGOs