Country meeting
(Helsinki, December 2024)
Adult Immunization in Finland: successes, lessons learned and the way forward
Meeting Objectives
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- Review the structure of the healthcare system in Finland, focusing on how adult vaccination programs are integrated into the national vaccination plan. Analyze current policies and strategies for adult vaccination.
- Explore the integration of national healthcare registers in monitoring and evaluating vaccine coverage and effectiveness. Analyze the organization, distribution, and regulatory systems for adult vaccination at the national and regional level.
- Discuss the effectiveness of current surveillance systems in detecting and responding to vaccine-preventable diseases in adults.
- Understand the role of modeling and economic evaluations in shaping vaccine policy. Discuss how modelling studies can inform policy decisions and prioritization of vaccines.
- Address the factors influencing vaccine acceptance and strategies to increase demand among adults. Assess public attitudes and beliefs toward adult vaccination.
- Focus on existing vaccination strategies for specific population groups and the effectiveness of such programs. Discuss future directions for adult vaccination.
Intended impact and Target Audience
AIB country meetings are organized to discuss country specific aspects of adult vaccination together with local experts. For these meetings, the AIB invites local academics, healthcare providers, public health representatives and policy makers to present on adult vaccination strategies implemented in the country, as well as educational and communicative initiatives aimed at increasing adult vaccine acceptance and coverage rates. The aim of these meetings is to establish a collaborative network of national experts of different fields, creating a platform for the exchange of knowledge and best practices in adult vaccination.
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, 4 December 2024
SESSION 1: Opening, introduction and objectives
Chairs: Pierre Van Damme and Heini Salo
- Introduction of Adult Immunization Board (AIB) /
Pierre Van Damme (University of Antwerp) and Paolo Bonanni (university of Florence)
- Overview of the objectives of the meeting + Why is Finland interesting in context of adult vaccination/ Arto Palmu ( Finnish Vaccine Research (FVR))
SESSION 2: Healthcare system and the adult vaccination program in Finland
Chairs part 1: Pierre Van Damme and Heini Salo // part 2: Hanna Nohynek and Niyazi Cakmak
- Finland: health system summary / Ilmo Keskimäki (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
- National vaccination program in Finland / Mia Kontio (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
- Regulatory basis and organization of the vaccination program in Finland /
Anni Virolainen-Julkunen (Ministry of Social affairs and health)
- Practical conducts of vaccinations in different wellbeing services counties / Kirsi Valtonen (WBSC of Vantaa and Kerava)
SESSION 3: National registers in healthcare and their role in vaccine evaluation and monitoring
3.1 National registers in healthcare and social welfare
Chairs: Hanna Nohynek and Niyazi Cakmak
3.2 Role of national registers in vaccination
Chairs: Paolo Bonanni and Roman Chlibek
- Real time-based study on register data for seasonal influenza / Ulrike Baum (THL)
- COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) in risk groups / Eero Poukka (THL)
- Vaccine safety monitoring / Petteri Hovi (THL)
- Finnish national registers in clinical trial settings / Tuomo Nieminen (THL)
SESSION 4: Epidemiology, Disease Burden, and Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Infections in Adult
Chairs: Arto Palmu and Asko Järvinen (TBC)
- Assessing the burden of Herpes zoster from the population-based, individually linkable, nationwide administrative register data / Heini Salo (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
- National surveillance of RSV in Finland / Toni Lehtonen (THL)
- Population impact of infant pneumococcal vaccination on invasive pneumococcal disease in adults in Finland /
J Pekka Nuorti (Tampere University)
- Immune surveillance for vaccine-preventable diseases/ Merit Melin (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
SESSION 5: Modeling and economic evaluation studies to support decision-making
Chairs: Odile Launay (TBC) and Thomas Weinke
- Modeling to support decision making on vaccination programs /
Simopekka Vänskä (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
- Using health economic analysis to assess the monetary value of the quality criterion in national vaccine tenders
/ Heini Salo (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
Thursday, 5 December 2024
SESSION 6: Vaccine acceptance and demand
Chairs: Giovanni Gabutti and Ligita Jancoriene
- Finns’ relationship to vaccinations / Aapo Kuusipalo (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL) and Hanna Nohynek (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
- The Finland’s cultural, behavioural and media insights centre (CUBE) /
Tuukka Tammi (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
SESSION 7: Adult Vaccination in Finland in specific situations and population groups
Chairs part 1: Giovanni Gabutti and Ligita Jancoriene and Chair part 2: Javier Díez-Domingo (TBC) and Per Ljungman
- Vaccinating risk groups against H5 avian influenza in Finland / Hanna Nohynek (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
- Vaccination of healthcare providers in Finland / Mia Kontio (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
- Vaccinations in Finnish military conscripts / Tuula Hannila- Handelberg (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
- Vaccination of migrants in Finland / Idil Hussein (Finnish Institute for health and welfare, THL)
- Travel vaccines for the Finnish / Anu Kantele (University of Helsinki)
SESSION 8: Breakout groups
Chairs Birgit Weinberger and Pierre Van Damme
SESSION 9: Vaccine clinical trial environment
Chairs: Heini Salo and Paolo Bonanni
- Vaccine clinical trial environment; history, current and future / Arto Palmu (Finnish Vaccine Research (FVR))
SESSION 10: Meeting summary, final discussion and closing remarks
Chairs: Heini Salo, Paolo Bonanni and Arto Palmu
- Meeting summary by AIB rapporteur/ Eric Noehrenberg (will be published on website December 2024)
