Pfizer and Amrita Hospital launch Centre of Excellence for adult vaccination in Faridabad

New Delhi: Pfizer India and Amrita Hospital have inaugurated a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) for adult vaccination at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad. The initiative aims to improve community protection against vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) such as Pneumococcal disease, Influenza, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), and Hepatitis A and B, by promoting adult vaccination.

Despite adult vaccination being an effective strategy to improve quality of life, its adoption in India remains low, with about 95% of VPD-related deaths occurring in adults. The CoE intends to address this by providing healthcare professionals with crucial information on the benefits of adult vaccination, particularly for at-risk individuals with conditions such as Chronic Lung Disease (COPD & Asthma), Diabetes, Chronic Heart Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Cancer, and other immunocompromised states.

Dr. Sanjeev Singh, Medical Director at Amrita Hospital, commented, “At Amrita Hospital, we are steadfastly committed to delivering comprehensive, quality care to our patients. Vaccination over the course of one’s life is a simple and effective tool to protect people and the community at large against vaccine-preventable diseases. By encouraging increased vaccine uptake among adults, we can ensure widespread, layered protection against infections, which is especially vital to support vulnerable populations.”

The CoE will focus on educational efforts to equip healthcare practitioners with evidence-based information on the benefits of adult vaccination. It will provide capacity-building efforts, training modules, and access to vaccination guidelines and protocols. This initiative will help healthcare professionals engage with at-risk groups, including smokers, those exposed to pollution, and individuals aged 50 years and older, to discuss the preventive benefits of vaccination.

Dr. Santosh Taur, Director of Medical Affairs at Pfizer Vaccines, highlighted, “At Pfizer, we’re committed to helping more people live healthy, disease-free lives. This reiterates our commitment to scaling up adult vaccination coverage across the community to ensure greater protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. Through this Centre, we intend to empower healthcare practitioners and patients with comprehensive and critical information to guide care decision-making and the adoption of preventive strategies such as immunization.”