For the first time in all of Spain this autumn the flu vaccine will be extended to all healthy babies and children from six months to five years. Last year the flu vaccine was only administered to this group in three autonomous communities – Andalusia, Galicia and Murcia -, since in the rest of the country the only children in this age group to whom this vaccine was administered were those who had an underlying pathology.
All the autonomous communities and cities of Ceuta and Melilla have already acquired the doses for flu vaccination this year, which 1.6 million children will be able to receive, through the intranasal vaccine for those between 2 and 5 years of age, or the intramuscular injection for the youngest (from 6 to 23 months), Javier Álvarez, member of the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (CAV-AEV), explained to EFE.
According to this expert, flu vaccination in this cohort of children in the three autonomous communities in which it was carried out obtained “magnificent” results and coverage of 50%, while this year the goal is to achieve coverage of the 55 to 60% on average throughout Spain. The flu vaccine is already on the schedule of the National Health System and this autumn it will be administered to this cohort, as well as to any child with an underlying pathology, regardless of their age.
Vaccinating children reduces the circulation of the flu virus
Although the coverage does not reach the entire child population, it is a very important step because “the virus stops circulating or does so in less quantity, so not only those vaccinated benefit, but also the people around them”, Álvarez highlights, adding that vaccinating healthy children is done “to protect those vaccinated, but also because they are the main transmitters of the flu, mainly in schools and day care centers, and they spread the virus to the people they live with.”
The flu affects between 20 and 40% of the child population, and in 5% of cases hospital admission is necessary due to its severity
“The flu must be taken seriously,” warns Álvarez, who affirms that it is not “a trivial disease” and can cause complications, especially in children. In fact, the flu affects between 20 and 40% of the child population depending on the extent of the epidemic that season, and in 5% of cases hospital admission is necessary due to its severity. Two thirds of these hospitalized children are healthy, that is, they do not suffer from an underlying disease, so it is recommended “to vaccinate everyone, vaccinating is always valuable,” she insists.
Amós García Rojas, member of the WHO Permanent Group for Europe and honorary member of the Spanish Vaccinology Association (AEV) has also welcomed the fact that this year healthy children are included in the flu vaccine for “their important role in the spread of the disease. In statements to EFE, García Rojas stressed that in countries where healthy children are already vaccinated “a marked decrease in cases of influenza in adults is observed.”
