Presenting how protection against six diseases, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, hepatitis B and Hib is built together in a single, co-formulated schedule. Polio protection is delivered through inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), covering all three poliovirus types. Setting out what complete coverage means at the antigen level and the immunological principles behind combining and stabilizing multiple antigens into one program, laying the foundation for the life-course discussion that follows.

Explaining how protection in the first months of life comes almost entirely from antibodies passed across the placenta from a vaccinated mother, chiefly in the third trimester, and why timing matters. Setting out how this maternal protection wanes as the infant’s own schedule takes over, establishing the immunology of the mother-to-infant handoff that the policy briefings later build on.

Examining what is driving the return of pertussis at scale, roughly 210,000 cases across the EU/EEA in 2024, a near ten-fold rise, with infants under one and adolescents aged 10–14 most affected and infant deaths recorded in several countries. Setting out the accumulated susceptibility, waning immunity and softening coverage behind the resurgence, and presenting the coverage data that frames the policy discussion.

Making the programmatic case for combination vaccination, against a policy architecture that has not kept pace with clinical reality: fragmented, disease-by-disease recommendations that mean more visits, more injections, and more chances for a child to fall behind. Setting out what a single coherent framework requires, fewer injections and clinic visits, a simpler schedule, better timeliness and completion, and higher acceptance among parents and providers, to protect a child against six diseases at once.

Reviewing the UK’s July 2024 move to a polio-free (Tdap) maternal booster — the decision, its rationale of avoiding blunting infants’ own polio responses, and what is known so far about its results. Considering the relevance of the UK experience for other European countries, and how other countries might apply the same evidence-based reasoning to their own schedules.

Turning to the coverage decline — third-dose infant coverage (DTP3) slipping below the herd-immunity threshold across the WHO European Region in 2024, with markedly lower rates in parts of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, while maternal uptake rarely exceeds half of eligible women. Setting out the solutions — clearer delivery responsibility, recall and reminder systems, and targeted regional action to close the gaps and reverse the decline.