European Commission moves to boost vaccination cover across the continent

The European Commission has tabled wide ranging recommendations to increase the uptake of vaccinations against preventable diseases.1 These aim to reassure the public of the safety and benefits of vaccines and to tackle the upsurge in Europe of infectious diseases such as measles.

Vaccination programmes have become increasingly fragile, the commission notes, because of low uptake of vaccines, vaccine hesitancy, increasing costs, and production and supply shortages.

Presenting the strategy on 26 April, Vytenis Andriukaitis, the European health and food safety commissioner, said, “Vaccination is one of the most powerful and cost effective public health measures developed in the …