Call for flu vaccination for children under five years of age
For this reason, and because of the importance of protecting minors and their families from the influenza virus, the Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatricians (AEPap) calls on families and administrations to try to increase the number of influenza vaccinations.
According to the Ministry of Health’s statistics portal, the average coverage of flu vaccinations against children under five in Spain last season was 36%, and in some of the more populous autonomous communities, such as Madrid and Catalonia, this figure is lower. the figure is also in others, such as the Basque Country and the Balearic Islands, where it did not reach 20%.
Convenience of vaccinating children
“This year we must change this situation, and all primary care pediatricians must make an effort to explain to fathers and mothers what we see in consultations convenience of vaccinating children, also against influenza at the age recommended by health authorities,” says Dr. Pedro Gorrotxategui, President of AEPap.
Dr. Ignacio Domingo, coordinator of the AEPap vaccine group, explains that the importance of influenza vaccination among boys and girls is still unknown to the population. “Society generally believes that the flu vaccine is needed for older people and not for children, but this is a mistake,” he explains.
As the information site AEPap, Family and Health explains, influenza is more serious among older adults in terms of mortality, but Young children are hospitalized in the same proportion as children over 60 years of age.
It is also considered more serious in children or adults at risk for complications, but two out of three hospitalized minors had no risk factors. The most common complication of influenza is pneumonia, which can be caused by the virus itself or by bacterial superinfection.
Therefore, children are vaccinated not only to protect others and prevent them from acting as “transmitters”, but mainly to vaccination protects minors themselves, Because “even boys and girls without risk factors can develop serious illnesses that require hospitalization,” says Dr. Domingo.
Prevention for children up to six months.
Among the available vaccines, Dr. Domingo points out that there are two types. One of them is intranasal, which can be “more comfortable because you don’t have to inject children.” However, “it has the limitation that it is not approved for children under two years of age, making it an ideal vaccine for children aged two to five years, subject to the recommendations and limitations of the data sheet.”
The second vaccine is intramuscular. It is given in one injection and is the only drug available for children from six months to two years.and for “those between two and five years of age who cannot receive the intranasal vaccine, such as some children with immunological disorders,” he clarifies.
None of the vaccines are available for children under six months of age, so to protect at-risk children of this age, it is necessary to vaccinate companions and take basic hygiene measures, such as frequent hand washing by adults.
To protect all boys and girls and their families, the President of AEPap proposes “ consultations with AP pediatricians inform about everything related to this vaccination, which is as necessary and relevant as any other vaccine on the calendar.”