Technical meeting
(Warsaw, May 2025)

Advancing vaccination strategies for older adults:

insights into epidemiology, immunity and implementation

 

 

Meeting Objectives

  • Clarify the definition of older adults in the context of vaccination by considering factors such as chronological age, comorbidities, and biological markers like immunosenescence and frailty.
  • Review and discuss vaccines and vaccination programs targeting older adults across Europe.
  • Address the unique challenges and opportunities in conducting vaccination studies, and especially clinical trials, with older adults.
  • Explore the mechanisms and factors affecting the efficacy, effectiveness, safety and durability (including boosters) of vaccine responses in older adults and discuss strategies (like adjuvants and higher doses) to enhance immune responses. Discuss specific characteristics of different vaccines for older adults.
  • Discuss implementation of vaccination in older adults at the policymakers, organizational and population levels. Identify strategies, including best practices and successes, to increase vaccination coverage in both community and other care settings, and address communication and logistical challenges to ensure program sustainability and equity.

Intended impact

The population in Europe is ageing rapidly, with the proportion of older adults increasing significantly. As a result, the need to protect this demographic group through tailored vaccination efforts has become more urgent within lifelong immunization programs across Europe. This meeting seeks to provide essential insights and strategies to improve vaccine effectiveness, immunity durability, and uptake among older adults. By gathering experts in immunology, vaccine development, geriatrics and public health, the meeting will address the unique challenges faced by older adults, such as frailty, comorbidities, and immunosenescence. The discussions will support National Immunization Programs by sharing the latest information and best practices to boost vaccination coverage, customize strategies, and ensure sustained protection against vaccine-preventable diseases for this growing segment of the population.

Target Audience

  • Public health experts, policy makers, healthcare professionals, academics with expertise/ interest in the vaccination of older adults
  • AIB advisors and observers

Background document

  • Link –>Background-Document
    The background document contains background information on the topic of the meeting, a selection of scientific references and abstracts related to the different presentations.

Agenda

         Wednesday, 7 May 2025

     SESSION 1: Opening, Introduction and Objectives
     Chairs: Pierre Van Damme and Paolo Bonanni

     SESSION 2: Health prevention and vaccination strategies of older adults in Europe 
     Chairs: Pierre Van Damme and Paolo Bonanni

        Chairs: Thomas Weinke and Antoni Torres

 

  • Healthcare providers perspectives from three different EU countries on their country’s respective vaccination recommendations and strategic plans for older adults (barriers/opportunities for the future)
    – Portugal Felipe Froes
    (Hospital Pulido Valente, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Portugal)
    – Poland Marcin Czech
    (Head of Pharmacoeconomic Department, Head of the Hospital Infection Control Team, Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland )
    – Denmark Jens Lundgren
    (Center of Excellence for Health, Immunity, and Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Copenhagen, Righospitalet, Denmark)

     SESSION 3: From clinical trials to real-world data: challenges and opportunities in the conduction of trials Implementation: planning and managing
     Chairs: Alojz Ihan and Odile Launay

  • Overview of the difficulties and opportunities of vaccine trials (e.g. pragmatic trials) targeting frail and older adults / T.Biering-Sorensen(University of Copenhagen, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Denmark) -> waiting on confirmation of speaker to share slides

     SESSION 4: Understanding specific characteristics of different vaccines for older adults

  • Effects of comorbidities and use of immune markers to predict vaccination responses in older adults
    / Debbie van Baarle (Dept Medical Microbiology and Infection prevention, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Center for Infectious disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) -> waiting on confirmation of speaker to share slides

           Specific characteristics of different vaccines for older adults 
           Chairs: Per Ljungman and Jacek Wysocki

         Thursday, 8  May 2025

        Chairs: Heini Salo and Helena Maltezou

     SESSION 5: Implementing vaccination in the older adults on multiple levels

        Chairs: Birgit Weinberger and Stefania Maggi

     SESSION 6: Breakout Groups and meeting closing
    Chairs: Birgit Weinberger and Stefania Maggi/ Pierre Van Damme and Paolo Bonanni

Summary Slides / Katherine Newell  (P95)
-> slides as presented during the meeting –> week of 19 May 2025: clean version will be uploaded

  • Discussion and closing of the meeting