“Flu is not a mild illness, it is a contagion that affects the most vulnerable people and leads to the collapse of hospitals and even an increase in deaths.” This is how the Minister of Health, Mónica García, began the presentation of the vaccination campaign against influenza and covid-19, which most communities have already launched. The ministry recommends the simultaneous administration of both vaccines in the indicated groups.
Although there is no novelty either in the target groups or in the vaccination schedule, Health and Communities are working on a unitary action document to diagnose risk scenarios and recommend control measures if necessary. Last season, “very intense flu activity” was recorded: there were almost 450 cases of flu per 100,000 inhabitants and a peak of 16.4 hospitalizations in the first week of January.
“We must anticipate and that is why, from the Public Health Commission, we are working with communities to establish a document of common criteria with the aim of assessing the risk posed by respiratory infections and proposing homogeneous prevention measures and control,” García explained. in front of the media.
The document, which will be part of the agenda of the Interterritorial Health Council this Friday, includes three parts: a proposal for indicators to “characterize the epidemiological situation and assess transmissibility, severity and impact”; the establishment of “risk scenarios” based on these indicators; and recommendations for each of these scenarios.
Only children with risky conditions
Regarding the recommendations, they do not change compared to last season. The target groups for both vaccines remain simultaneously people over 60, institutionalized people, people with chronic illnesses, immunocompromised people, pregnant women – it protects not only the mother but also the newborn –, health and socio-health sectors. staff and the child population under 60.5 years old. People who live with others “with a high degree of immunosuppression” should also be vaccinated, for example transplant recipients; and those who live with older adults or people with higher-risk illnesses.
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics has urged health to include all children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years in the campaign against influenza due to the high socialization of these groups, but at the moment only those with conditions to risk are prescribed vaccination (diabetes, cardiovascular). or neurological diseases; chronic liver diseases…). People who smoke, suffer from celiac disease or work in early childhood education centers should also be vaccinated, according to Health recommendations.
Along with the flu and coronavirus, communities began vaccinating babies against the respiratory syncytial virus, which causes bronchiolitis. This is the second season that the National Health System has a drug that confers immunity against this drug and is based on “spectacular results” after the first vaccinations of 2023: hospitalization rates have been reduced between 71 and 77%, which means that between 7,500 and 10,200 admissions were avoided. “This is an example of the good work of prevention campaigns,” underlined the minister.
