New APEC Vaccination Dashboard Reveals Adult Immunization Gaps Across APEC
Issued by the APEC Health Working Group
The dashboard allows users to explore immunization data by economy, indicator and policy area, assess immunization program strengths, identify policy and financing gaps and learn from peer approaches across the region.
“Member economies need to treat life-course immunization as an urgent policy priority. This dynamic tool will help economies better assess immunization program strengths and identify policy and financing gaps across the region,” said Jae Woo Kim, Chair of APEC Health Working Group, who oversees this initiative.
The data suggests that the systems supporting high childhood vaccination have yet to translate into consistent protection through adolescence and older age.
Thirteen APEC economies report DTP-containing vaccine coverage above 90 percent among children, but only two reach the same level for adolescent HPV vaccination and just one for influenza vaccination among older adults.
The dashboard also highlights broader demographic trends shaping future vaccination needs. Its old-age dependency ratio shows how rapidly populations are aging relative to the working-age population.
Economies such as Hong Kong, China (33.9) and Korea (27.47) face some of the region’s highest ratios, underscoring the importance of keeping people healthier for longer to reduce pressure on health systems and public finances.
The dashboard also shows that adult vaccines, including HPV, influenza and shingles, can contribute to both infectious disease prevention and broader healthy aging objectives by reducing complications among older adults and people with chronic conditions, and helping people remain active and productive for longer.
“Strengthening life-course immunization is critical to building resilient health systems and supporting healthy aging across APEC economies,” Dr Ryan MacFarlane from the APEC Vaccines Task Force said. “The new dashboard gives APEC economies a practical way to see where progress is being made and where health gaps remain.”
The dashboard supports implementation of the APEC Action Plan on Vaccination Across the Life-Course by giving member economies a practical tool to benchmark progress, identify policy gaps and share good practices. As the Action Plan reaches its midpoint, the launch marks an important milestone in strengthening regional cooperation on vaccination across every stage of life.
