The Western Health District of Almería, dependent on the Health and Consumption Council of the Junta de Andalucía, has started a vaccination campaign for protect children born in 2011 from the human papilloma virus. It is run by school nurses and is being developed in the educational centers of the region.
In advance, through the management of each school, families are informed about the importance of receiving this vaccine as a preventive measure and the formal authorization of parents or guardians is requested. Likewise, if necessary, the vaccination record is updated with the meningitis and chickenpox vaccine. The campaign includes vaccination in 80 schools in the region located in the municipalities of El Ejido, Roquetas de Mar, Adra, Vícar, Berja, Dalías and Balanegra.
It began in mid-February and, if forecasts are met, at the end of this month 3,500 boys and girls will have been vaccinated born in 2011. A school nursing team travels to the educational center, where a classroom has been set up for this purpose.
Health professionals also review each student’s vaccination record to update it and confirm that they have also received other vaccines such as ACWY meningitis and chickenpox. To date, school nurses have administered more than 700 vaccines to combat the human papilloma virus. In addition, more than 600 doses of the vaccine that protects against meningococcus and around 300 against chickenpox have been counted.
The Poniente de Almería Health District has the collaboration of the territorial delegation of the Department of Educational Development and Vocational Training of the Junta de Andalucía to carry out this action. Board added the vaccine against papilloma to the immunization schedule for men with the aim of preventing the diseases that this virus also produces in them. Thus, the more than 45,000 males residing in Andalusia who were born in 2011 can be vaccinated just like girls already do, which means savings for Andalusian families of 345 euros for each vaccinated child.
