Jinan University Convenes National Symposium onPneumococcal Disease Burdenand PreventionStrategiesforChina's Aging Population

May17,Beijing— To address the escalating challenge of pneumococcal diseases amid China's demographic transition and advance the Healthy Aging initiative, theSymposium on Disease Burden, PreventionStatus,andPolicyRecommendationsforPneumococcalDiseaseinChina'sElderlyconvened  successfully  in Beijing. Hosted bytheSchoolofMedicine, Jinan University, the meeting brought together leading experts from China's public health system and international institutions.

Distinguished  participants   included Professor  Liang Xiaofeng,   Director  of  the Institute for Disease Control and Prevention at Jinan University;ProfessorGeorgeR. Siber of  Johns   Hopkins  University; Director Yin Zundong of  the   National Immunization  Program,  China  CDC; Director Director Shao Zhujun of  the Respiratory Infections Division, China CDC;ChiefExpertWangHuaqingof the China CDC Immunization Program;DeputyDirectorAnZhijieof the China CDC

Immunization Program Center;AssociateDeanLiuTaoof the School of Medicine; andChiefExpertZhengHuizhenof the Guangdong Provincial Preventive Medicine Association.ProfessorCharlesFeldmanof the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, joined virtually.

Opening Remarks

Professor Liang Xiaofeng delivered the opening address, extending warm welcome to all participants. He emphasized that pneumococcal disease ranks among the leading infectious  causes  of mortality  in  China's  elderly  population.  Despite  this  burden, pneumococcal  vaccination  coverage  remains  suboptimal  due  to  limited  public awareness and affordability constraints. Establishing robust surveillance systems and accelerating vaccine development, he asserted, constitute urgent priorities.

Thematic Presentations

The symposium featured four targeted presentations:

DeputyDirectorAnZhijieanalyzedglobalage-specificincidencepatternsanddiseaseburdendata, underscoring the  imperative to  develop  indigenous  surveillance   systems   and novelmultivalent conjugate vaccines to systematically address demographic agingchallenges.

Professor  George  R. Siber drew upon U.S. prevention experience, recommending tailoredvaccinedevelopmentoptimizedforlocalserotypecoverage,withpriorityexpansionof childhoodimmunization to achieve herd immunity protection for older adults.

Professor   Charles   Feldman    (virtual   participation)   advocated   for    the   "Four   Rs"framework—Recommend,  Repeat,  Remind,  Review—to enhance vaccination uptake amongelderly populations.

Panel Discussion

The final session focused on non-National Immunization Program (non-NIP) vaccine evaluation, immunization strategies, delivery system strengthening, and public trust. Key insights included:

DirectorYinZundongcalledforenhancedtransparencyregardingvaccineefficacyandsafetyprofiles, alongside pricing strategies within public reach to meet population immunization needs.

Professor Jiang Rongmeng, Vice PresidentofBeijing DitanHospital,stressedtheimportanceofachieving   high   vaccination   coverage   among   healthcare  workers  and  combating  vaccinemisinformation.

ProfessorZhangJing,Chief of RespiratoryMedicineatZhongshanHospital,FudanUniversity,identifiedfragmenteddeliverysystemsandambiguousguidelinerecommendationsasbarrierstoimplementation from the clinical perspective.

Chief Expert  Zheng  Huizhen emphasized priority vaccination for elderly individuals withchronic comorbidities.

Associate DeanLiuTaoadvocatedleveraging university researchcapacities toprovidetechnicalsupport for immunization system development andoptimization.

Consensus and Conclusions

Participants unanimously agreed that with China having entered an aging  society, systematic  advancement  of  pneumococcal   immunization   strategies   is  essential. Establishing  comprehensive  life-course  immunization  barriers  represents  a  critical mechanism for mitigating the health challenges posed by population aging.