Gemma Maldonado
The numbers for hospitalizations and deaths from respiratory illnesses are not small.this The most common causes of death in Spain in 2022The year we already thought this pandemic was coming to an end is Coronavirus disease. In children under five years of age, influenza hospitalization rates often equal or exceed those in older adults. Four out of 10 adults with community-acquired pneumonia ultimately require hospitalization.
this Flu season is coming. We don’t yet know what new waves of Covid-19 will look like, but they typically increase as the fall and winter months arrive. Pneumonia is already worrying pediatricians and family doctors. winter triad (Together with VRS) Emergency room waiting rooms are usually packed during the colder months, but it’s coming soon. All three conditions are preventable.
The most common cause of death in Spain is Covid-19 in 2022, a year where we already thought the pandemic was coming to an end
However, vaccinology experts warn that vaccine coverage for these diseases is insufficient. The latest data shows that Influenza coverage rate for people over 60 years old is 65%, this number still needs to be improved. As for pneumococci, in the Madrid community it is 51%; with Covid-19, it reached 67% among people aged 70 to 79 last year.inside This proportion dropped to 36.26% among people aged 60 to 64 years old. These are numbers that vaccinologists hope to improve.
“We are very lucky to have vaccines for these three diseases and we must take advantage of them”he said this Friday Jaime Pérez, President of the Spanish Vaccine Association (AEV)while carrying out information campaigns to promote vaccination for people aged 60 years or above, vulnerable groups and children aged 6 to 59 months, who are recommended for the first time in the vaccination plan. “By getting vaccinated in the autumn we can enjoy a healthy winter, as this campaign shows: The best plan for this winter””, noted the AEV Chairman.
Jaime Pérez: “We are very lucky to have vaccines against these three diseases, we must take advantage of them”
Flu data: Children are hardest hit by infection and spread
Pediatric Fernando Moraga-Llop defended “Universal Vaccination” All pediatric populations under 18 years of ageA measure implemented in the UK since 2013. Incorporate flu shots into children’s calendars from six months to the day a boy or girl turns five, “Arrived late in Spain”but also pointed out its importance.
There is no clear data on children dying from the flu because, typically, “They died from bacterial complications following influenza infection”but pediatricians point out “We can say 15 children die from influenza every year in Spain. Although these figures vary widely, depending on how the flu comes about. “.
Dr. Moraga-Llop: “It can be said that 15 children die from influenza in Spain every year. Although these figures vary greatly, it depends on how the influenza comes.”
Influenza viruses mutate every year, and no season is exactly like the last. But influenza results in an average of 28,000 hospitalizations each year..For children under five years old “Their hospitalization rates are equal to or higher than people over 65”.
Influenza is currently the most common vaccine-preventable disease in pediatrics because so few people are vaccinated childrenAlthough this group of people “A major player in influenza epidemiology“It is the first to be infected: 10 to 40 percent of people are infected each year, and the infection rate among adults is about 10 percent,” explained.
Dr. Moraga-Lop: “Children’s influenza is an underestimated disease, first and foremost by health workers”
For pediatricians, “Flu in children is an underrated disease, especially among healthcare professionals”have recognized and believed under-diagnosis, “Because clinical symptoms without typical influenza manifestations have not yet been confirmed. In children, it may manifest as otitis media or bronchiolitis with fever.“. To protect babies under six months of age, experts emphasize vaccination of pregnant women. “Studies show that when we vaccinate these women, the disease can be reduced by up to 70%”.
Covid-19 continues to claim lives
last year Covid-19 kills 31,559 people in Spain, 96% are over 60 years old.In children, the disease usually manifests itself less severely, but Dr. Maraga-Llop noted that children younger than six months old “They come in at the same frequency as the 65 to 74-year-old group.”.
Covid-19 killed 31,559 people in Spain last year, 96% of whom were aged over 60
Finally, the AEV President recalled that vaccines “They are an essential tool in preventing illness, severe cases, hospitalization and death”but also “Avoid overloading the system and the home itself”.