The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands recently approved the inclusion of the new compound in the vaccine calendar for all ages in existing products. Luis Ortigosa, a pediatrician and member of the regional Vaccine Advisory Committee, confirmed that with these mergers “a huge leap has been made in protecting children”.
Among the proposals, experts have highlighted the introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for adolescent boys starting in October. “This vaccine has been available for 15 years, but only for girls, and now it is also extended to boys. Everyone can get two doses at the age of 12, at least six months apart.”
Bronchiolitis
Another very important advance in the vaccination calendar for all ages is the implementation of protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis in infants. It is not a vaccine per se, but a monoclonal antibody against RSV in at-risk children and babies born that season.
“This is a way to prevent children, especially the youngest children under six months, from catching the virus. This is an important advance because it will prevent outbreaks of bronchiolitis, which has hit a massive scale this year. A wave of seasonal epidemics has caused serious health problems, with primary care and hospitals collapsing, and minors being hospitalized, some of them so severe that a child died,” he admitted.
Four pediatric societies in the Canary Islands, which bring together professionals in the specialty, asked public health authorities to include the antibody in early July. This way, the Islands will be one of eight communities that will be tested, thereby preventing RSV outbreaks and reducing infections.
It is an acute and common disease as it affects 60% of children under one year of age and almost 100% of children under two years of age. Nine out of 10 parents take their child to the pediatrician’s office at a health center at least once or twice, and 60 percent go to a hospital emergency room.
“All the pediatric associations of the Canary Islands see that the Ministry of Health has not taken the decision to include this new antibody against RSV. The document reveals convincing data presented by bronchiolitis , and it is important that the Canary Islands do not stay in the tailgate”. Fortunately, this antibody will be available starting in October and November. “The expert emphasized.
flu dose
Luis Ortigosa, on the other hand, is happy that children are already being vaccinated against the virus in the next flu campaign. “As we have emphasized many times, children are the ones who suffer the most from influenza and who spread it the most in family and social settings. Although they generally have fewer complications, for many years we have insisted on providing influenza for all children. The importance of vaccination”.
Members of the Canary Islands government’s Vaccine Advisory Committee affirmed that all children will be vaccinated from six months to five years old and all vaccines are given free of charge by the public system, except for injectables, administered intramuscularly and, depending on age, optionally via intranasal spray. Administering the vaccine, “it’s a great way to get vaccinated without pricking your child.”
“In short, we have taken a huge step forward in protecting children with vaccines that are not only very effective in preventing disease in those who are vaccinated, but also avoid a public health collapse,” the expert reiterated.
The Pediatric Society, which issued these vaccination recommendations for children and adolescents, now expects “the support of families” to make them successful. In that sense, Ortigosa said, “Canarian families have a lot of trust in the public health system and have vaccinated their children very well, and we know we’ll have no problems, especially with respiratory infections.” HPV, childhood flu, and flu vaccines. Everyone under 12 gets HPV”.
In addition, he is sure the Ministry of Health “will start promoting the importance of these vaccines”.
monitor
Asked about a study by researchers at the University of Las Palmas that found “contaminating compounds” in baby purees, the expert said, “There are some substances that should not be in baby purees. Food safety laws must be applied, there is a need to control and Monitoring food for the absence of potentially toxic substances, especially for children because of their vulnerability”.
For example, due to social condemnation in the Canary Islands since 2017, school canteens no longer serve panga, a Vietnamese fish from rivers polluted with toxins and heavy metals. “They were very cheap, had little nutritional value, and could be toxic to children. Luckily, they were withdrawn.”