The most recent example is the COVID-19 pandemic. The arrival of vaccines at the end of 2020 marked the beginning and end of infection control, leaving the world paralyzed for months in an unknown state.Another example used by the expert panel during the “Vaccine Virtual Congress 2024: The Power of Immunity” moderated by Gonzalo Fernández, Director of Virology and Vaccine Medicine at MSD Spain respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Immunization against this virus often poses a challenge in pediatric emergencies, with more than 100,000 deaths worldwide each year, “This is another great victory”Jaime Pérez, President of the Spanish Vaccinology Association (AEV) stressed.
So does the vaccine rollout Preventing shingles or papilloma in menPerez emphasized that he recognizes that one of the weaknesses of vaccination is related to forgetfulness. Perez insisted that the “intangible nature of vaccinations and prevention” makes it difficult to continue celebrating these milestones as time goes on. “The decline in VRS revenue after ten years will become the norm and will cause us to no longer pay attention to this. We must continue to provide them,” he stressed. “Vaccines prevent illness, hospitalization, death and reduce congestion in health systems,” he listed.
“The flu peaks we are experiencing could have been avoided with vaccination,” Perez said. Continuing to vaccinate adults in high-risk groups remains a challenge.
María Pilar Arrazola, head of the preventive medicine service at the University Hospital, spoke about the latter on October 12. “The first challenge is for us all to realize that vaccination does not end in childhood,” he claimed. “Our childhood vaccination rates cannot be replicated in adults. This is a training problem. We must measure and discover where we fail. “
Get vaccinated at a pharmacy
Arazzola argued that one possible solution to trying to increase adult vaccination coverage could be to administer the vaccine in pharmacies, as is the case in other European countries. “Having this access can also help people with chronic conditions get information,” he said, adding that it is necessary Promote vaccination As a healthy living habit, with the promotion of sports.
“The success of COVID-19 vaccination is Access points are provided and schedules are made more flexible.. Maybe we need to work on being less rigid. We must be able to recommend and administer vaccines,” the expert added.
Jesús de la Fuente, coordinator of the TGI-HPV pathology department at the Infanta Leonor Vallecas Hospital in Madrid and vice president of the Madrid HPV Association, explained how through vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV), in the near future, they will not only be able to eliminate cervical cancerand other related types of cancer.
“HPV vaccination is very powerful and critical to achieving this goal,” he has stressed, ensuring that in this case the role of paediatricians is crucial to achieve 90% coverage.
María Fernández-Prada from the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the Vital Álvarez Buylla Hospital in Mieres emphasized, Factors that influence whether people get vaccinated, and also praised the role of public-private collaboration in developing vaccines. “It is clear to everyone that if we have a vaccine, it will be because of the first huge investment from the private sector. We have to ensure that this cooperation continues in the field of vaccines and medicines.”
At the end of the first session of the conference, organized by Merck, Federico Martinón, head of pediatric services at the University Hospital of Santiago, spoke about the role of artificial intelligence in preventing disease, e.g. Choose the right goal Or shorten the time between identifying a problem and finding a solution. “Looking closely, AI can provide useful information to citizens. For example, Chat GPT can react to hoaxes surrounding vaccines,” he concluded.
Future challenges include researching vaccines for diseases such as tuberculosis or HIV, and working to value vaccination itself so that historical vaccine-prevented deaths are not forgotten.