Influenza and Covid Vaccination Campaign for Healthcare Workers 2024

M. ALCARAZ.- The Ministry of Health has begun. flu and covid vaccination campaign 2024in which they are included among the priority groups vaccination of all medical personnel or who work in centers associated with this area, other than people over 60 years of age or populations with special risk factors.

In the case of healthcare workers, the portfolio states that vaccination is recommended due to “their greater exposure and possibility of disease transmission for the most vulnerable people” and to “reduce impact and maintain critical and essential services for society.”

Vaccination season 2024-2025

The Ministry of Health assures that in the 2023-2024 season “very intense influenza activity was noted compared to previous seasons.” Additionally, the most affected group, with greater severity and mortality, were people over 60 years oldespecially those 80 years of age and older.

Therefore, taking into account that the protection provided by vaccination or previous infection decreases over time, and that the influenza virus circulates more in Spain between December and February, vaccination next season is recommended for groups that are at greater risk of serious illness. diseases. . These groups include people with diabetes; those with chronic cardiovascular, neurological or respiratory diseases; patients with cancer and malignant blood diseases; or people with immunosuppressive diseases.

Vaccination of persons over 60 years of age.

In addition, they emphasize the importance vaccination among people over 60 years of age“Older people have a higher risk of serious illness or complications that can lead to hospitalization or even death,” explains. In addition, they argue that the flu is more dangerous for older people for several reasons. “One is that the immune system, which helps the body fight infections, weakens with age,” they explain.

“This means that, for example, while the body is fighting the flu, it is possible to contract a secondary infection such as bacterial pneumonia. The second reason is that older people also have more likely to have other diseasessuch as diabetes, which increases the risk of complications from influenza,” they say.

The vaccination campaign will begin in the last week of September. and will continue into October, although dates may be adjusted based on vaccine availability. Each autonomous community has established procedures for conducting this campaign.