Health equity is only achieved when there are no differences in the quality of and access to health care among all groups and at all ages in a society. Whether to an infant, a child, a young adult, or an older adult, the quality of health care should not change. Similarly, access to care should not vary throughout an individual’s life. Because inequities are cumulative, their impacts are not confined to one stage of an individual’s life but rather remain and affect a person’s
life years afterwards. In addition, the impacts are not restricted to a particular individual, but can affect the lives of those around. Vaccine inequities, too, especially among people of different ages, have a cumulative effect. Inequitable access to vaccines not only leaves people at risk of contracting and spreading deadly viruses but also leads to more virus variants emerging, affecting a whole population, even those vaccinated.
Supporting life-course immunisation through pharmacy-based vaccination: enabling equity, access and sustainability. A toolkit for pharmacists (2023)
