Presenter(s):
Craig Thompson, Society For Intelligence Management, Canada
Abstract
The United Nation’s (UN) Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021- 2030 calls for global collaboration across diverse sectors and disciplines to develop policies and practices that improve the lives of older people. However, the UN Resolution (75/131) which followed the endorsement of the Decade by the World Health Assembly, expressed concern that, despite the predictability of global population ageing and its accelerating pace, world governments are not prepared to respond to the basic needs of current and future generations of older people.
Vaccines are a cornerstone in disease prevention and a proven tool for ensuring healthy ageing. Despite their effectiveness in reducing morbidity and mortality, millions of older adults still do not have equitable access to vaccines. Meanwhile influenza, one of the leading causes of death in older adults worldwide, and other illnesses such as pneumococcal disease, RSV, and shingles, continue to cause significant hospitalizations, long-term disability, and premature death. Risk factors such as chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and immunocompromising conditions, increase the likelihood of infection and severe disease.
This is not just a public health concern; it is a policy failure with broad social and economic consequences that all world governments must address to ensure we meet the UN’s Healthy Ageing objectives by 2030. Governments and policy makers have both a responsibility and an opportunity to close this care gap. In Canada, we have assembled a group of healthy ageing advocates and other patient-centered organizations to establish a consortium that addresses three respiratory illnesses that affect older adults: influenza, RSV, and pneumococcal disease. With the input of consortium members, we have developed an advocacy framework for engaging governments, politicians, and policy makers.
This framework, which contributes to the growing knowledge base on immunization advocacy, will be presented to inform other global ageing advocates and delegates how our consortium effectively engages with leaders to educate and raise awareness about the importance of expanding access to all recommended adult vaccines; ensuring older adults are informed about their vaccine options through consistent, accessible public education campaigns; supporting healthcare providers with training, time, and resources to facilitate proactive vaccine discussions and partner with healthy ageing organisations to address hesitancy, build trust, and reach in older populations.
The objective of the consortium is to advance policy change in Canada and to develop a national strategy on healthy ageing that includes vaccines for protecting an ageing population. Immunization is more than a public health measure, it is a foundation for aging with dignity, independence, and continued contribution to society. To protect the health and resilience of older populations worldwide, governments, politicians and policy makers must act now to modernise adult vaccination as a part of healthy ageing strategies worldwide.
Bio(s):
Craig is a visionary healthcare leader and entrepreneur with nearly 25 years of experience spanning government, public health, academia, the military, and NGOs, both nationally and internationally. As Director of Immunization and Tuberculosis and Acting Director for Sexual Health with the British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Health, he co-founded digital platforms like ImmunizeBC, the BC Immunization Clinic Locator, I Boost Immunity, and Kids Boost Immunity. He also pioneered a digital informed consent solution aligned with BC’s Vaccine Status Reporting Regulation.
Craig has led major policy and legislative reforms, emergency preparedness plans, and expanded the scope of immunization providers across BC. He co-chairs the Pan-Canadian Immunization Policy and Health Promotion Committee and serves as an Executive Member of the WHO’s Vaccine Safety Net. He’s also a former Chair of the BC Immunization Committee.
Internationally, Craig leads vaccine training initiatives for Indigenous nurses, coordinates cross-border public health projects, and co-leads vaccine-focused NGO consortiums. He is the Canadian lead for the Hilleman Essay Contest and a founding partner of Bucci-Hepworth Health Services. As a co-founder/Chair of the Society for Intelligence Management, he champions collaborative solutions to global health challenges.
