| THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: IMMUNION WILL WRAP UP AFTER TWO YEARS OF INTENSE COLLABORATIVE WORK | | Following two busy yet very rewarding years, the IMMUNION project is set to conclude its work at the end of March 2023. Co-funded by the European Union’s 3rd Health Programme and benefitting from the expertise of a diverse consortium of 12 partners from different EU countries, IMMUNION has had ambitious goals: to improve vaccine communication, confidence and uptake across Europe. READ OUR FINAL KEY OUTCOMES BOOKLET Looking back, we can now say that the intense collaborative work undertaken by the project team has borne fruit. From training courses and communication tools that enhanced the efforts of healthcare professionals in explaining immunisation to their patients and increasing vaccine understanding and uptake in target communities, to advocacy and communication campaigns to raise awareness, the project has produced and delivered various resources and opportunities to improve public health in the EU. You can find out more in our project booklet, and this newsletter provides an overview of some of our key results. |  | | | (VACCINE) CONFIDENCE COMES WITH KNOWLEDGE: TRAINING AND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS | | A survey carried out by the Coalition for Vaccination co-chairs (CPME, PGEU, and EFN) in the summer of 2021 with the aim of learning about healthcare professionals’ needs on vaccine training revealed that only 54% of respondents feel very confident in answering questions about vaccines. The conclusion is that there is a clear need for additional training, and the survey respondents confirmed that, with 89% welcoming such opportunities to improve their communication around vaccination topics. READ THE ARTICLE Their top choice when it came to the format of this training was online sessions.
As such, IMMUNION partner the University of Antwerp, in collaboration with national partners, has conducted several sessions on topics ranging from vaccine literacy and hesitancy to communication techniques designed to enhance and strengthen healthcare professionals’ ability to explain vaccines to non-specialist audiences. Moreover, the SEKI platform, which aggregates validated training material, was linked to the Coalition for Vaccination website. BROWSE THESE MATERIALS HERE CHECK OUT THE SEKI PLATFORM HERE | |  | | A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR REDUCING VACCINE INEQUITIES ACROSS EUROPE: TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | | To better understand the dynamics at play that affect vaccine uptake rates in specific communities, as well as raise awareness of the benefits of vaccination for public health, IMMUNION has developed various inter-related resources. These include the Vaccine Communication Toolbox (a living, user-friendly gateway to a multitude of resources in 5 different languages, focusing on vaccine-preventable diseases), and pilot activities to address vaccine hesitancy in target groups in the project’s four participating countries (Italy, Greece, Latvia, and Romania). These processes can lay the ground for future activities across Europe. EXPLORE THE VACCINE COMMUNICATION TOOLBOX LEARN ABOUT THE PILOT ACTIVITIES | | DEBUNKING MYTHS:
COMMUNICATION AND ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS | | Throughout the duration of the project, the Coalition for Vaccination has raised awareness of the importance of immunisation in dealing with vaccine-preventable diseases through initiating or taking part in communication campaigns. The common goal of these campaigns was to reduce vaccine mistrust, combat myths, and widen the reach of evidence-based information about vaccines. TAKE A LOOK AT THE STATEMENTS AND CAMPAIGNS |  | | ACCURATE VACCINE INFORMATION FOR ALL:
COLLABORATION WITH THE MEDIA | | To improve vaccine communication and eventually uptake, the message needs to reach wider audiences, which is why collaboration with the media is crucial. Euractiv Poland, one of the project partners, organised several media trainings in the four IMMUNION countries with different stakeholders (health professionals, institutions, civil society, and media experts) and released news articles and interviews on vaccination topics on a regular basis. CHECK OUT THE ARTICLES PRODUCED BY EURACTIV FOR IMMUNION | | BUILDING A HEALTHIER EUROPE, TOGETHER:
CROSS-PROJECT COLLABORATION | | To amplify its messages and reach new audiences, IMMUNION has joined forces with other EU-funded projects driven by a similar mission. Together, they formed a network of vaccination projects collaborating on specific issues, with results including a scientific paper submission and joint work on project activities. DISCOVER RELATED INITIATIVES ON VACCINATION | | STANDING BY EUROPEAN PATIENTS AT ALL TIMES:
PGEU PUBLISHES ITS ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2022 | | The Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU), one of the co-chairs of the Coalition for Vaccination, has recently published their Annual Report for 2022. Providing an overview of all the activities PGEU was involved in throughout last year, the Report highlights the work carried out within the IMMUNION project, including its train-the-trainer activities. READ THE PGEU ANNUAL REPORT | | | COALITION FOR VACCINATION CONFERENCE BRINGS TOGETHER THE HEALTH COMMUNITY | | Around one hundred healthcare professionals, health experts, and policymakers joined the Coalition for Vaccination Conference in Brussels. The discussions in the event revolved around vaccination policy in Europe, barriers to vaccine communication and uptake, and the key actors who can play a role in immunisation efforts. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COALITION FOR VACCINATION CONFERENCE | | | FIRST IN-PERSON MEETING, AT LAST: IMMUNION PROJECT TEAM COMES TOGETHER IN BRUSSELS | | After almost two years of cooperating online, the IMMUNION team came together for the last General Assembly of the project in Brussels, on 16 January 2023. They discussed the project’s key achievements and challenges and how to further exploit project results after March 2023. READ MORE |  | | | EARLY CLINICAL TRIALS OF HIV EXPERIMENTAL VACCINE PROVE PROMISING | | There is room for hope for a vaccine that fights HIV, as preliminary trials have given promising results, highlights Euractiv Poland in one of its recent articles. Approximately 1.5 million people were diagnosed with HIV in 2021 alone. READ THE ARTICLE HERE | | |
