The 2023-2024 seasonal influenza vaccination campaign launched by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha is running normally in the Cuenca Health District and responds to the call of the health authorities to strengthen the protection of the most vulnerable people, because vaccines are the best way to prevent serious diseases. tool.
Provincial Health Representative José María Pastor and General District Director of Continuity of Care, Management Quality Begoña Fernández and Head of Public Health Services of the Mission Bruno attended today the “Las Hoces” Senior Residence in Cuenca to inspect the influenza campaign in Cuenca Healthcare progress in the region, encouraging people to get vaccinated and expressing gratitude to health care professionals, primarily primary care caregivers, for the work they do to get as many citizens vaccinated as possible.
Constantino González, 101, is the first resident of “Lasjos” to be vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19, setting a new precedent since he was the first from Cuenca Serving as an example of the importance of protecting and preventing this disease. Get vaccinated against coronavirus in December 2020.
In the 2023-2024 campaign, the Ministry of Health has procured 640,000 doses of vaccines, with a total expenditure of more than 7.6 million euros, including a new intranasal vaccine for children aged 24 to 59 months.
The health representative thanked Ana de la Hoz, Director of the Residence “Las Hoses” for her cooperation, recalling that as of the 2021-2022 season, joint vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended. If they have the flu and the people they come in contact with are at high risk for complications because they can spread the disease to them.
In this sense, he explained that the simultaneous emergence of the two viruses, influenza and COVID-19, and the possible relaxation of health measures against the coronavirus, would increase complications and mortality in high-risk groups, which would also lead to a significant burden on care increase, so vaccination is very necessary.
“For the Ministry of Health, vaccination is a key element of prevention and protection and avoiding complications, which is why we want the flu campaign to reach the most vulnerable,” the representative said.
The head of the province’s health department explained that vaccination starts with people over 80 years old and continues in descending order up to 60 years old, and subsequently, the following high-risk groups, such as the elderly, are being vaccinated. or equal to 60 years of age, with special attention to people living in social care centres.
Vaccination is also recommended for children over 6 months of age and people under 60 years of age who are at high risk for complications from influenza, as well as anyone who can spread influenza to those at high risk;
Likewise, influenza vaccination is recommended for health and social hygiene personnel and groups of professionals considered essential and for persons with direct occupational contact with poultry or pigs on poultry or pig farms or farms, as well as wild birds.
Additionally, in this year’s event, as a new initiative, vaccination is recommended for children aged 6 to 59 months (under 5 years old) and for smokers.
Professional recognition
Begoña Fernández, Director of Continuity of Care of Management, explained that the health centers and clinics of the health district have prepared all logistics to continue the vaccination campaign that will last until March 31 and are ready Preparation He hopes to achieve a vaccination rate of more than 75% for Cuenca’s population over 60 years old, and 60% for pregnant women and high-risk groups.
Likewise, he thanked the work of Cuenca’s health professionals “who every year achieve above-average vaccination coverage” and highlighted the services of the provincial delegation in pharmacy, occupational health, preventive medicine and vaccination services departmental cooperation. Guard or team for emergency management, emergencies and sanitary transportation.
“All teams, led by the Department of Nursing, are ready in our 32 health centers and more than 200 offices because, although we are a very dispersed province, we have managed to actively recruit the entire population and be able to achieve this Campaign targeted at vaccination,” Fernandez said.
Finally, he reported that, as in previous events, the management will set up a centralized vaccination point, without prior appointment, in the Virgen de la Luz Hospital Polyclinic building starting next Monday, October 30, which will Serving the following areas: Afternoon, from 3 to 8 p.m.