{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.021288515406162466, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0067226890756302525, 'mean_word_length': 5.201388888888889, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Recent European Union (EU) initiatives to support national vaccination efforts


 
 
 Vaccination is the main tool for primary prevention of disease and one of the most cost-effective public health measures available. Immunisation through vaccination is the best defence we have against serious, preventable, and sometimes deadly, contagious diseases. Thanks to widespread vaccination, smallpox has been eradicated, Europe made polio-free, and many other diseases almost eliminated.
 
 
 
 This presentation provides an overview of recent European Union (EU) initiatives to support national vaccination efforts.
 
 
 
 The EU has launched a number of initiatives to strengthen national vaccination efforts. In December 2018 the European Council adopted a Recommendation to strengthen the EU cooperation on vaccine-preventable diseases. The initiative aims to tackle vaccine hesitancy, improve coordination on vaccine procurement, support research and innovation, and strengthen EU cooperation on vaccine-preventable diseases. EU countries are encouraged to develop and implement national vaccination plans with initiatives to improve coverage, and to introduce routine vaccination status checks.
 The European Commission is also reinforcing its support to national vaccination efforts to increase coverage, including through the preparation of a Joint Action on vaccination co-funded by the Health Programme. Launching in 2018, the Joint Action will address vaccine hesitancy and seek to increase vaccination coverage in the EU. It is coordinated by INSERM (France) and involves 23 countries (among them 20 EU countries).
 
 
 
 Vaccination policy is a competence of national authorities, but the European Commission assists EU countries in coordinating their policies and programmes.
