This autumn, for the first time, the flu vaccine will be extended nationwide in Spain to healthy children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, an innovation since previously only groups of infants with underlying medical conditions were vaccinated.
All the communities and municipalities of Ceuta and Melilla have already received doses of this year’s flu vaccine, which will benefit 1.6 million children, either the intranasal or intramuscular vaccine for children aged 2 to 5 years. From 6 months to 23 months, Javier Álvarez, member of the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Pediatric Association (CAV-AEV), explained to EFE.
This group of children was vaccinated against influenza last year in only three autonomous regions, Andalusia, Galicia and Murcia, with “huge” results, with 50% coverage, the expert said. He hopes to achieve coverage in the fall of 2019. Spain averages 55% to 60%.
Vaccination of all children helps stop virus spread
The expert pointed out that although this coverage rate may seem small, it is very important because it has already had a major impact. benefit.”
Alvarez noted that the vaccine is administered to healthy children “to protect those who are vaccinated, but also because they are the main spreaders of the flu, mainly in schools and daycare centers, and they spread the virus to those who are vaccinated.” People who live together””.
With regard to influenza, the expert admits, “it took a long time for people to realize that it is not a small illness” and that it is not immune to complications, especially in children: “Influenza has to be taken seriously,” he warns .
In fact, flu affects between 20% and 40% of children, depending on how prevalent that year is, with 5% of cases ending up in the hospital because of its severity.
He reiterated that two-thirds of hospitalized children were healthy, that is, they had no underlying disease, and recommended “to get everyone vaccinated, and vaccination is always a value”.
So this fall, the flu vaccine already on the national health system’s schedule will target this group, as well as children with underlying medical conditions, regardless of age.
Influenza can be vaccinated at the same time as other diseases: “The fewer vaccinations the better, because stressful moments overlap,” he adds.
Amós García Rojas, member of the European Standing Group of the World Health Organization and honorary member of the Spanish Association of Vaccinations (AEV), also spoke on this issue, expressing his concern that this year’s flu vaccine will include the healthy child population Appreciated because of “its important role in disease transmission”.
In a statement to EFE, García Rojas insisted that in countries where healthy children had been vaccinated, “significant reductions in influenza cases among adults were observed”.
High-risk groups are vaccinated against the new crown vaccine once a year
Also this fall, vaccination campaigns against the new coronavirus will resume with the new serum, an intervention that García Rojas believes “will remain stable over the next few years,” albeit only for high-risk groups, once a year and administered Administer concurrently with influenza vaccine.
“Coronavirus has persisted, it’s not going to be diluted or faded, it’s going to stay with us, which means there will be some people in the population who are clearly at risk who will receive booster doses,” the former president said. .
New vaccines adapted to variants of Covid-19 from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax will be administered this year. Those required to receive the vaccine against COVID-19 will be older patients, patients with dangerous diseases, immunosuppressed patients, pregnant women and healthcare patients.
Pfizer reported that since most flu vaccines are distributed in late September and administered in October, “the goal is to make the newer Omicron XBB.1.5 vaccine available at the same time.”
On behalf of Moderna, they assured that their updated vaccine has “significantly increased antibody-neutralizing capacity against EG.5, FL 1.5.1 strains, and XBB variants” and that it “will be ready for fall vaccinations with sufficient world supply”.