The article provides an overview of adult vaccination policies across Europe in 2010, highlighting significant differences between countries in terms of which vaccines are recommended, how they are funded, and how coverage is monitored. While all European Union and Economic Area countries recommend vaccines like seasonal influenza and hepatitis B for adults—mainly for specific risk groups—only a few vaccines, such as tetanus and diphtheria, are broadly recommended for all adults. The study found that most countries lack a comprehensive adult vaccination schedule and do not routinely collect coverage data for adult vaccines, making it difficult to assess how well adults are protected. The authors emphasize that harmonizing vaccination strategies and improving data collection would help ensure better protection for adults, especially as populations age and the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases in adults increases.
The survey of EU countries was coordinated and analysed by Elisabeth, a fellow of the EPIET training programme based in Italy. This work contributed to the discussion on life-course immunisation, a strategy ensuring access to recommended vaccines throughout a person’s life—from childhood through adolescence, adulthood, and older age—rather than focusing solely on early childhood. I did not have much contribution to this work, aside from helping in getting answers from countries and revising the manuscript.