Get informed – and get vaccinated!

Why is vaccination a public health priority? 

Vaccination is one of the most effective public health tools we have. It revolutionised public health and is estimated to have saved over 154 million lives just in the last 50 years, including the estimated 1.4 million lives in the WHO European Region that were saved thanks to COVID-19 vaccination. 

Research and development efforts continue, and with new vaccines against malaria and cervical cancer, we are making even more progress in preventing life-threatening diseases in this effective and safe way.   

But despite these indisputable gains, vaccination coverage has been falling over the past few years. Vaccination is partly a victim of its own success – because it worked so well, people have forgotten that children not so long ago died from diseases like measles, polio and smallpox. But that’s not the only reason. In a post-COVID-19  world, we have seen a rise in vaccine hesitancy and vaccine fatigue – which have resulted in an upsurge of vaccine-preventable diseases.  

The number of measles cases reported in Europe, for example, doubled from 2023 to 2024. And although the EU is polio-free, the vaccine-derived poliovirus was detected in wastewater samples from three EU Member States and in the UK in 2024, so vigilance – and continued vaccination – is key. 

Prevention is far better than cure. Through vaccination, children stay healthier, people live longer and healthier lives, and there is less burden placed on already over-stretched health systems.  

What is the Commission doing to encourage greater vaccination uptake in the EU? 

We’ve been working with Member States to improve coverage, to promote sustainable vaccination programmes, and to secure the vaccine supply so that everyone who wants to get vaccinated can get vaccinated.  

And we’re making it easy for the public to get all the accurate, science-based information they need, because we’re convinced that armed with the facts, people will opt to protect themselves and their families through vaccination.   

Evidence-based information on vaccination is easily accessible via the European Vaccination Information Portal, and Member States can build their own vaccination  campaigns by means of the #United in Protection toolkit.  

The Commission is also reducing structural barriers to vaccination through actions funded under the EU4Health Programme. The project Overcoming Obstacles to Vaccination, which identifies and pilots best practices, is a prime example of this.        

Health professionals and student associations have been invited to join the EU’s Coalition for Vaccination, that among other things, supports actions related to communication on vaccination.

The Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan also promotes the uptake of vaccination against Human papillomaviruses, which causes cervical and other types of cancer, and the Hepatitis B virus, which can lead to liver cancer. In 2024, EU Health Ministers adopted a Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers upon a proposal by the Commission.

I’d also like to mention the European Health Data Space (EHDS), which will improve access to vaccination data, for both patients and healthcare providers. By having an overview of their vaccination records, patients can keep up with recommended vaccines and booster shots.

What is the Commission doing to tackle disinformation? 

The European Democracy Action Plan and the Code of Conduct on Disinformation set out measures to tackle disinformation which provide a strong framework for very large online platforms and search engines. 

The Commission and the European External Action Service have also stepped up monitoring and analysis, and we are working with Member States and international organisations to address disinformation across various policy areas. 

Tackling disinformation isn’t just a job for policymakers and officials. Each one of us is responsible for not passing on information that could be false and even harmful. We all need to be aware, think critically and check our sources.  

We are fighting disinformation with accurate information. As well as providing clear information on vaccination, we have also been working with the ECDC and EMA to increase transparency about the authorisation of vaccines and medicines and post-authorisation monitoring.

The facts about the life-saving benefits of vaccination are out there. And the vaccines themselves are available.  It’s our job to help people make use of both.   

Is the EU helping to combat vaccine-preventable diseases at international level? 

We are not just helping; we are a global leader in this effort. The EU and its Member States are collectively the largest contributor to the Global Vaccine Alliance, or Gavi, contributing 30% of Gavi’s funding for the 2021-2025 period. The EU will be hosting the Gavi Global Summit: Health & Prosperity through Immunisation on 25 June to mobilise donors to continue funding Gavi’s operations in its new strategic cycle (2026-2030) while EU has already pledged €260 million for this initiative. The EU also supports partner countries in strengthening their local pharmaceutical systems and their manufacturing capacity to make safe, effective and affordable vaccines accessible to their citizens.

As part of the Global Gateway strategy, the  Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (MAV+) in Africa has mobilised more than €2 billion in investments from the EU and its Member States, part of which supports the African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator. MAV+ offers a comprehensive, 360-degree approach creating an enabling environment for sustainable local manufacturing in Africa through 3 dimensions: the supply side, the demand side and the enabling environment.

Also in Africa, the EU allocated €20 million for mpox vaccines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and with its Member States, committed to provide over 600,000 mpox vaccine doses to African countries via the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.  Elsewhere in the world, the European Union – Latin America and the Caribbean Global Gateway Investment Agenda supports local vaccine and health technology manufacturing. 

In short, we support national health systems around the world, so that they can run successful immunisation campaigns, safely store and distribute vaccines, fund training for health workers, and provide community outreach. I also would like to thank my team and colleagues in ECDC and across the Commission for our joint efforts, this is a common area of work for many.

Keeping vaccination-preventable disease at bay requires all hands on deck. We need everyone to do their part, by getting informed – and getting vaccinated.