In 2022, 42,979 people died from respiratory diseases in Spain. This makes illnesses like the flu, Covid-19 or pneumococcus the third leading cause of death in our country. To this end, the Spanish Vaccinology Association (AEV) has launched the “Best Plans for This Winter” campaign to raise awareness among people over 60 years old, vulnerable groups and parents of children between 6 months and 4 years old. Importance of Vaccination. Vaccines are an important tool in preventing such diseases.
Jaime Pérez, President of AEVexplains, “As people age, their risk for disease begins to increase, but we don’t think our bodies don’t have the same protection or immunity as they did when they were younger.” The influenza vaccination rate among people aged 60 to 64 years old reached 36.26%. For this reason, Pérez insists, “the reason for this campaign is that we are faced with a disease that has a huge impact. Influenza killed thousands of people in Spain. “We don’t know what the influenza season will look like, but We do know that the vaccine protects us from the flu. “
Vaccination against COVID-19 and Pneumococcus
Covid-19, the virus that has kept us locked up for months, is also the virus that has caused the most deaths in 2022. “Vaccines against Covid-19 prevented 456,000 deaths across Spain in the first year of vaccination,” said the AEV president, adding, “Studies conducted in the United States show that after the epidemic is over, the risk of vaccination in people Hospitalization and death rates are much lower.”
Pneumococcal disease, on the other hand, is another major respiratory disease that must be prevented.Although national coverage data are not publicly available, it is estimated that Vaccination rates for adults are much lower than for children, more than 95%. Given that more than 40% of pneumonia cases in adults require hospitalization, AEV specifically urges people over the age of 60-65 to check their pneumococcal vaccination status. “While it varies from municipality to municipality, in general, everyone over the age of 60 to 65 should receive this vaccine. Even if they are vaccinated, they may have to update their vaccination based on current community recommendations,” Perre Si said.
children and pregnant women
This is the first year that flu vaccination is recommended for children aged six months to four years. As he explained, Fernando Moraga-Llop, spokesperson and senior member of AEV“Influenza is the most common immune-preventable disease in children. It is more susceptible in children because it is an underestimated and underdiagnosed disease.” Scientific community emphasizes importance of vaccines as prevention tool in this age group , as this avoids many of the infections that parents and teachers suffer when their children get sick.
In Spain, our vaccine recommendations are late. In 2012, the World Health Organization recommended that this group be vaccinated, and the United States and the United Kingdom have been administering these vaccines as a tool to prevent respiratory diseases since 2013.
Children under six months of age are more likely to contract these respiratory illnesses. Therefore, as Moraga emphasizes, “the only way to protect them is to vaccinate their mothers during pregnancy. Both influenza and COVID-19 have proven this.”