This is how vaccines work, why they’re important and what the phrase “herd immunity” actually means. Produced and edited by Elise Wicker; art direction by Alice Grenié; filming by Derrick Evans; voiceover by Kat Collins; executive production by Lorna Hankin and Charlie Newland Continue reading

As cases of measles soar globally, the Philippines is facing a major outbreak. Since a controversy over a dengue fever vaccine, confidence has fallen in the country's immunisation programmes. Arlyn B. Calos told the BBC that misinformation on television and social media led her to ignore government advice to have her children vaccinated against measles, a decision she hopes no other parents make. Continue reading

Vaccines have saved tens of millions of lives in the past century, yet in many countries health experts have identified a trend towards “vaccine hesitancy” – an increasing refusal to use vaccination. The World Health Organization estimates that vaccines prevented at least 10 million deaths in just five years between 2010 and 2015. It says vaccines have been one of the biggest success stories of modern medicine. Continue reading

Public mistrust of vaccines means the world is taking a step backwards in the fight against deadly yet preventable infectious diseases, warn experts. The biggest global study into attitudes on immunisation suggests confidence is low in some regions. The Wellcome Trust analysis includes responses from more than 140,000 people in over 140 countries. The World Health Organization lists vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health. Continue reading

Joint Procurement of medical countermeasures The outbreak in 2009 of H1N1 pandemic influenza highlighted weaknesses in the access and purchasing power of EU countries to obtain pandemic vaccines and medications. In 2010, the European Council requested the Commission to start the preparation of joint procurement of vaccines in the frame of a future pandemic. Provisions for the joint procurement of medical countermeasures are included in Article 5 of Decision 1082/2013/EU on serious cross-border threats to health. The Joint Procurement Agreement (JPA) was approved by the Commission on 10 April 2014, and as of September 2017 has been signed by 24 EU countries. The JPA: Determines the practical arrangements governing the mechanism Defines the decision-making process with regard to the choice of the procedures Organises the assessment of the tenders and the award of the contract Continue reading