Abstracts

The burden of vaccine-preventable disease in people with asthma and the importance of improving access.

Professor Kevin Mortimer, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

This talk will summarise the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases - including influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, pneumococcus and herpes zoster - in people with asthma around the world illustrating the considerable burden in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Current recommendations from WHO and others for vaccinating people with asthma against these diseases will be discussed and put in the context of the current global coverage of these through vaccination programmes. Growing evidence regarding the impact of herpes zoster in people with asthma will be highlighted and opportunities to reduce this burden through vaccination explored. The Gavi Vaccine Alliance has improved access to vaccines for millions of people in LMICs playing a critical role in strengthening primary health care, and helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of Universal Health Coverage - what can be learned from the success of Gavi to improve access to affordable inhaled medicines for people with asthma in LMICs?

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