In Andalusia, from February 1, four-month-old children will be vaccinated against ACWY meningococcus.

Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Andalusia, Catalina Garcia, announced this Thursday that Andalusia will replace the dose of the meningococcus C vaccine recommended for four months of age with the meningococcus ACWY vaccine from 1 February. This is one of the major new features included in Andalusian vaccination calendar for 2024.along with a new age cohort of systematic vaccination against 20-valent conjugate pneumococcus, which is already reaching adults aged 60 to 73 years, born between 1951 and 1964, who have not yet received either the 13-valent or 20-valent vaccine, which began apply from January 1, according to a press release from the department.

Let us remind you that pneumococcal coverage is currently 68%, since from 2021 the Ministry of Health is increasing the age cohorts for this vaccination. Thus, in 2022 the number of vaccinations increased from 60 to 71; in 2023 – from 60 to 72, and this year it will increase again by another cohort. Catalina García put forward these changes at the opening of the III Andalusian Vaccine Congress (Andavac), which, coordinated General Directorate of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulationtook place this Thursday at the Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP) in Granada with the participation of more than 1,350 health workers, of whom about 450 participated in person and 920 remotely.

Also present was the government delegate to Granada, Antonio Granados; Director General of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation Jorge del Diego; EASP Managing Director Blanca Fernandez-Capel and Vaccination Strategic Plan Director David Moreno and other authorities. The Secretary General of Public Health and Research and Development, Isaac Tounes, intervened electronically. The head of the Department of Health and Consumer Affairs clarified that replacing the dose of the meningococcal vaccine ACWY serves as a “The recommendation is based on evolving epidemiology, the availability of safe and effective vaccines, and evidence of the impact of strategies being implemented in countries around us.”

In this sense, he explained that in Spain, in relation to serogroups W and Y, the number of cases and incidence have increased almost four and three times, respectively, compared to 2021, and by age groups these are people under 1 year, those with the highest rates for all serogroups W (0.61) and Y (0.30) with case fatality rates for W 24% and Y 11.1%. For this reason, it was decided to change the dose of the vaccine, a measure that will begin to apply to persons born from October 1, 2023. In this way, protection against meningitis continues to be provided at the most vulnerable ages, as part of the #ZeroMeningitis strategy initiated in Andalusia in 2020. It was also reported that from February 1, there will be a transition to a single dose against the human papillomavirus (HPV) for systematic vaccination of girls and boys aged 12 years. and for emergency vaccination of girls aged 13 to 18 years and boys aged 13 years who have not previously been vaccinated.

In this sense, he noted that the decision to opt for a single dose is also in line with World Health Organization recommendations, supported by studies in which protective immunogenicity and clinical efficacy are maintained for periods comparable to two or three dose regimens in adolescent girls and boys after more than ten years surveillance of HPV2 and HPV4 vaccines and three-year surveillance of HPV9 vaccines. Therefore, based on current data and the existing trend of recommendations from various relevant official bodies, it was decided to take this step, which has already been implemented by countries such as Australia and the UK. This year, Catalina Garcia has moved forward with vaccination against herpes zoster to be included in age groups, especially at age 65.

VACCINE COVERAGE

The consultant took the opportunity to thank health workers, especially nurses, for their contribution to the success of vaccination campaigns, both in their work on prevention, vaccine promotion and in their administration, and thanked Andalusians for their commitment and responsibility for vaccination and vaccination. vaccination of their children, both on days without an appointment and by appointment. In this sense, he described the days of simple vaccination in the campaign against influenza and Covid-19 as a success and emphasized that 91.1% of available influenza doses have already been administered, allowing 1,780,202 people to be immunized; and 79% of the doses available for this covid campaign, with which 1,125,122 people were immunized. The influenza vaccine for children from six to 59 months has already covered 44.8% of the target population in the second year of use, that is, exactly 128,297 children.

Since September 25, 2023, 45,955 children have received the vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the leading cause of bronchiolitis. Currently, more than 90% of minors who are eligible for this immunization have received it. At the same time, he noted that thanks to this campaign against the RSV, The number of hospitalizations in Andalusia fell by 78% and the number of admissions to intensive care units by 66%. “The vaccine has proven to be the best way to protect us against viruses, against influenza, against Covid-19, and now we see this with respiratory syncytial virus. The vaccine prevents serious illness and hospitalization.”

92.8% of girls aged 12 to 18 years (2005 to 2011 group) received the HPV vaccine. At the same time, vaccination against the papilloma virus among boys born in 2011 already reached 80.1% in January, which is very similar to the figures for girls of the same age (83.3%).

Catalina García concluded her speech by highlighting the “unprecedented commitment to preventive health” achieved in Andalusia over the past five years. Thus, he recalled that Andalusia increased the vaccine budget by 179.5% compared to 2018, in which it increased from 42.2 million euros in 2018 to 117.8 million euros in 2023.

PRACTICAL SEMINARS AND PRIZES #ANDALUCÍASEVACUNA

The third Andavak Congress also presented the most common problems faced by professionals in areas where there are the greatest number of coverage difficulties, and also addressed common concerns regarding the vaccination schedule and vaccines for at-risk groups.

The afternoon will feature four simultaneous seminars where experts in the field will detail the most practical aspects of vaccinating children and adults, vaccination law, and patients with special situations and at-risk groups. New to previous editions, a workshop led by and for pharmacists is planned to discuss the most common concerns and situations related to vaccines in community pharmacies.

During the Congress, the #AndalucíaSeVacuna 2024 awards were presented, which highlight 15 categories and recognize the work done by the various health districts to achieve greater vaccination coverage, both at the provincial and Andalusian level.

The district of Jaén, covering 79.8% of the target population, has thus won recognition at the Andalusian level for achieving the highest influenza vaccination coverage among people over 65 years of age during the 2022-2023 campaign. Depending on the province, the Poniente districts of Almeria, Jerez, Guadalquivir, Granada Nordeste, Condado Campinha (Huelva), Malaga La Vega and Seville Este received awards in this category.