Dear colleague,

 

In light of recent outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases in Europe, the Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) in 2018 conducted a review of immunization legislation in the region. Sabin’s new report, Legislative Approaches to Immunization Across the European Region, examines how countries have approached immunization legislation, ranging from voluntary or recommended (the state asks that individuals seek out immunization) to mandatory (the state requires that individuals are immunized). Countries can now use this comprehensive review when evaluating legislative frameworks for immunization laws.

 

This study is the first and only systematic review of immunization legislation that includes all 53 countries in the WHO European Region. As approaches to immunization legislation across the European Region are diverse, a Matrix was developed to categorize country laws and policies and provide an overview of the degree of immunization oversight. A second tool, the Likert Scale: Assessing Levels of Immunization Legislation, was developed to further classify country immunization legislation with a scale from recommended to mandatory immunization with robust monitoring and follow-up, divided into five levels. Five national and regional case studies provide further comparison and analysis of legislative approaches to immunization. Russian and Romanian language versions of the study are also available.

 

Join our research team for a webinar to discuss key findings of the review on Thursday, February 14 at 10 AM EST/ 4 PM CET.

 

Sabin’s technical partner, Georgetown Law’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, supported the project with in-depth legal analysis, the development of categorization criteria and classification of current country approaches. This comprehensive examination included legislation, supporting documents, national constitutions, public regulations, decrees and other relevant information on country immunization programs, which are now publicly available in Sabin’s European Immunization Policy Database.  

 

Sabin is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. This study is part of a broader effort to support country ownership for sustainable immunization programs by supporting the development of:

·        Immunization policy, legislation and political will

·        Leadership and management skills for immunization managers

·        Vaccine confidence and demand

 

Thank you for your continued partnership.

 

Sincerely,

 

Tara Hayward

Vice President, Resource Development & Policy

Sabin Vaccine Institute | sabin.org

tara.hayward@sabin.org | Direct: +1 202 683 1881 | Mobile: +1 202 615 4008

2175 K Street, NW, Suite 400 | Washington, DC 20037