The Directorate-General of Public Health of the Ministry of Health has initiated protective measures against influenza, coronavirus and synthetic viruses, which can cause bronchiolitis in children. Prevention of synthetic viruses is a new addition to the childhood vaccination calendar in Galicia, the first country in the world to introduce this preventive measure.
in the case of Ferrol Health District, next Monday, September 25th, During the campaign against influenza and COVID-19, which ends on December 31, social and health centers will offer combined vaccination against both viruses. This is the first step in a campaign that will be carried out at different vaccination sites, which, like previous campaigns, will be carried out sequentially to prioritize the most at risk groups. It will start at the Caranza Social and Health Center, just like it will when the coronavirus vaccine arrives. It is estimated that 1,500 people from the Ferrol region will be protected in this social and health area during the first three weeks of the operation.
According to the health department of the Autonomous Region of Galicia, there are two types of flu vaccines. Four prices are for everyone under the age of 80, while the other higher price is for people aged 80 and over and nursing home users aged 60 and over. There is also a new vaccine against covid-19 that targets the circulating strain. The next big steps in the region will be those who stay at home, starting on October 9; high-risk or immunosuppressed people and those over 80, starting on October 16; and other groups targeted by the campaign, That is, the elderly over 60 years old and those at high risk of influenza, starting from October 26, at the FIMO Exhibition Center. You will be informed of the different steps and in most cases the call will be proactive via direct appointment or text message.
Get vaccinated against COVID-19
At the same time, dosing of monoclonal antibody (nirsevimab) against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will also begin in the afternoon of next Monday (25th). The President of the Autonomous Region of Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, has announced that Galicia will be at the forefront of protecting children from the virus that causes bronchiolitis, which causes 10,000 deaths in Galicia every year As many as 1,000 people were hospitalized.Therefore, starting from September 25, they will receive the corresponding doses immediately All boys and girls born in the Ferrol health zone. Children born from September 25, 2023 and during the event will be vaccinated at the hospital within 24 to 48 hours after birth.
In addition, premature infants (born from October 1, 2021) and boys and girls under the age of two who are considered high-risk due to certain conditions such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia or congenital heart disease will also start to be immunized. In the Ferrol Health Region, this group of children will be vaccinated next Monday and Tuesday afternoon at the Arquitecto Marcide Hospital Specialty Center of the Ferrol University Hospital Complex. They have been called upon these days.
The plan is to vaccinate all boys and girls born on or after April 1 this year. So, in the first two weeks of October, children born from this month onwards who are not in the first group (premature or high risk). It is estimated that there are about 400 children in various groups in the Ferrol region.
Respiratory syncytial virus is one of the causes of infantile bronchiolitis, a disease that causes nearly 1,000 hospitalizations every year in Galicia alone, 75% of which are children under one year old. The goal of immunization is to reduce the number of bronchiolitis cases to avoid serious health complications and hospitalization in children.