The Department of Health of the Basque Government has decided to include in the child vaccination schedule the vaccine against meningococcus B. Likewise, it will extend that of the flu to children between 6 months and 5 years of age, it will add an additional dose of poliomyelitis at 6 years of age, and for the first time it will extend that of the human papilloma boys and girls 12 years old.
The Basque Government have indicated that they intend to reinforce the child protection in Euskadi. Thus, from now on, vaccination against meningococcus B will be financed by the Department of Health and, therefore, like the rest of the vaccines on the calendar, it will be free for boys and girls born on or after January 1, 2023. , with a regimen of 3 doses at 2, 4 and 12 months of age.
The flu vaccine, which was already administered to the child population at risk, but will now be extended to all boys and girls between 6 months and 5 years.
Another novelty is that there will be a 3rd dose against poliomyelitis for the child population that turns 6 this year, which will be added to a more effective version of the third dose that was already administered against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. In this way, in a single puncture the 4 vaccines (tetravalence) will be inoculated.
Finally, the extension of the vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) to 12-year-old children is introduced for the first time, in 2 doses with an interval of 6 months between them; It will begin in the 2023/2024 school year, which corresponds to the cohort born in 2012. Until now, only girls were vaccinated to prevent cervical cancer.
Refering to vaccination of healthy people in adulthoodthe main novelty is vaccination against Herpes zoster of those who turn 65 in 2023.
Once the new vaccination schedule has been established, the Department of Health and Osakidetza have already started the usual procedure to inform Osakidetza professionals, the network of private centers, health schools and the general public about it.
