“There are multiple studies identifying the protective side effect of the flu vaccination against heart disease,” writes political columnist and global vaccination MICHAEL MOORE.

Reducing the chance of heart attack and stroke is simple. Don’t miss your flu and covid vaccinations. 

A huge cohort study in England found continuing covid vaccination has a protective impact on the cardiovascular system. Unfortunately, these findings, and others like them, come at a time when annual rates of vaccination for flu and covid are on the decline.

The study of 45.7 million people in England, published in the journal Nature Communications, examined vaccinations that followed the initial two doses for covid. The study offered “compelling evidence supporting the net cardiovascular benefit of covid vaccination”.

The authors reflect on the rare occasions of cardiovascular incidents following the first or second dose of the covid vaccination. However, a series of studies have identified that the risk of such events, even for the first two doses of vaccine, was significantly higher from catching covid  disease than from the vaccination. 

Another study in Nature Health concluded: “Our findings showed the risk of thrombocytopenia and venous thromboembolism was not increased after COVID-19 vaccination, while the risks were substantially higher after SARS-CoV-2 infection”. 

There are also multiple studies identifying the protective side effect of the flu vaccination against heart disease.

Access to annual vaccination has been made so much easier since the advent of the pandemic. GPs along with many pharmacists provide a vaccination service for influenza and for covid. It might take a little effort, but it is worth keeping up to date with such vaccinations.

One of the challenges for governments, at a time of increasing anti-vax activity and misinformation, is how to remind people of the advantages of vaccination across the life course. 

Vaccination of children in the early years is clearly set out throughout the world in guidelines produced by governments and well understood by general practitioners and most parents. The same is not true for older people.

Although Australia is an international leader for maintaining a register of vaccinations in older adults, much more that can be done. Most of us can access the MyGov website and see our own vaccination record. This has been particularly useful when travelling overseas, and will remain useful in times of vaccine preventable disease outbreaks.

There are those that question the efficacy of vaccination. A few historic examples help to counter such misinformation. Smallpox has now been eliminated through vaccination. When Samoa had its measles outbreak in 2017 it recorded 83 measles-related deaths. This is in a population about the same size as the ACT. Even though measles infections are preventable, with vaccination rates reducing, there are outbreaks worldwide.

Efforts from around the world from organisations such as Rotary, UNICEF, Gates Foundation, WHO and GAVI have focused on ridding the world of polio. There were 109 cases of Wild Polio Virus in 2024 and just 10 so far this year. These cases were all located in remote areas on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. 

As reported by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, since 1988 there are “20 million people who are walking today who would have otherwise been paralysed by polio”. 

In my role as chair of the International Immunization Policy Taskforce of the World Federation of Public Health Associations, I had the privilege of launching “A Call to Action on Life Course Vaccination” during World Immunization Week (April 24-30).

Joining my own organisation was the World Medical Association and the International Council of Nurses along with another six international associations representing doctors, pharmacists and other health professionals.

Additionally, the International Federation on Ageing has been particularly active in the “Call to Action”. Demonstrating the importance of vaccination for all of life has been a key driver for that federation. Studies such as the one on cardiovascular disease have been important drivers.

A key message of the “Call to Action” is ensuring “all recommended vaccines are accessible, affordable, and available”. This applies first to all health professionals and then more generally. For its part, the World Health Organization argues vaccination is second only to clean water and sanitation in protecting the health of populations. 

Reflecting on the “prevention paradox”, it is a challenge for public health, and vaccination in particular, that the more successful the programs are, the less they seem necessary. Well, at least until the next outbreak!

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.