AP-CHAAI Launches Virtual Think Tank to Advance Vaccine Policy and Healthy Aging Across the Asia-Pacific Region

First-of-its-kind digital platform will provide an interactive hub for regional and global experts and policymakers.

MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM, November 12, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Asia Pacific Consortium for Healthy Aging and Adult Immunization (AP-CHAAI) announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind virtual think tank dedicated to improving adult vaccine uptake and advancing healthy aging across the Asia-Pacific, debuting the initiative at the 2025 Silver Economy Forum.

The Consortium’s virtual think tank and data dashboard for adult vaccines is a pioneering digital platform that will centralize and visualize data on vaccine-preventable diseases while fostering expert-driven dialogue and policy innovation across the region.

Initially focused on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Australia, Japan, China, and Vietnam, the platform will serve as a model for broader expansion across additional adult vaccine-preventable diseases, such as influenza and shingles, and countries across the region.

Turning Data into Policy Action

“By 2060, one in four people in Asia Pacific will be 60 or older, totaling 1.3 billion older adults. Adult immunization is a powerful prevention tool to support healthy aging, build more sustainable health care systems, and enable continued economic growth, critical imperatives for rapidly aging Asia. The launch of this unique virtual think tank will support knowledge sharing among established and up-and-coming experts in infectious disease, public health, and economics as well as both seasoned and younger policy makers across the region.” said Michael W. Hodin, PhD, CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging, which serves as the Secretariat for AP-CHAAI.

The AP-CHAAI virtual think tank will provide policymakers with country-specific insights into disease prevalence, vaccine access, and the economic and societal burden of vaccine-preventable diseases. It will also examine the role of national immunization technical advisory groups (NITAGs) and offer actionable recommendations to improve vaccine coverage among adults and older populations.

“As populations in this region continue to age, access to adult vaccines becomes both a public health and an economic priority. This virtual think tank creates a space for experts across sectors and countries to work together toward a shared goal of ensuring older adults across the region can age with better health, dignity, and opportunity,” said Ian Barr, PhD, Deputy Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Melbourne, and member of AP-CHAAI’s Steering Committee.

The Consortium’s work is strengthened by partnerships with leading regional and global institutions, including the Asia Pacific Immunization Coalition, the Asian Development Bank, ASK Health Asia, Economist Impact, Health and Global Policy Institute, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, National Health Research Institutes Taiwan, National Taiwan University, National University of Singapore, the Office of Health Economics, University of Western Australia, University of Otago, University of Melbourne, the Vaccine Confidence Project, and WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, among others.

A Vision for Healthy Aging in the Asia-Pacific

The Asia Pacific Consortium for Healthy Aging and Adult Immunization is a regional initiative launched by the Global Coalition on Aging in 2025 to strengthen adult immunization systems and advance healthy aging across the Asia-Pacific. Guided by a distinguished Steering Committee and expert working groups, AP-CHAAI, through its virtual think tank and data dashboard, serves as an online hub for data, collaboration, and policy dialogue among leaders in public health, medicine, and government.

The Consortium’s mission is to break through knowledge and policy barriers that hinder adult immunization in the Asia-Pacific and to ensure that every adult can access the vaccines needed to safeguard their health as they age.

To learn more, please visit: https://ap-chaai.org/

About the Global Coalition on Aging

The Global Coalition on Aging aims to reshape how global leaders approach and prepare for the 21st century’s profound shift in population aging. GCOA uniquely brings together global corporations across industry sectors with common strategic interests in aging populations, a comprehensive and systemic understanding of aging, and an optimistic view of its impact. Through research, public policy analysis, advocacy, and strategic communications, GCOA is advancing innovative solutions and working to ensure global aging is a path for fiscally sustainable economic growth, social value creation, and wealth enhancement.

daniel okeefe
Global Coalition on Aging
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