For the fifth instalment of our blog series on the story behind the EFPIA manifesto, Vaccines Europe President, Pascale Mauran discusses the proposal to convene a coalition for vaccination that could bring together European associations of healthcare workers to commit to increasing vaccination coverage in Europe.

Immunisation has been shown to be one of the most effective disease prevention measure of all time, second only to water purification. It is easy to forget that vaccines protect us during infancy, childhood, adulthood but also in older age. Vaccination contributes substantially to our health as individuals, the sustainability of our healthcare systems and society at large by preventing morbidity and mortality. According to the WHO, vaccines prevent between two and three million deaths every year(i).