The Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) recently expressed concern about the low rates of vaccination during pregnancy against infections such as influenza, whooping cough and tetanus.
The pediatricians explained at the XIV Vaccine Conference that during this meeting the vaccination recommendations for pregnant women will be reviewed, emphasizing those for whooping cough, tetanus and influenza, although different immunization strategies in pregnancy will be analyzed to prevent infections in the neonate.
The whooping cough vaccine (Tdpa or dTpa), which is included in a combined preparation that also contains the components against tetanus and diphtheria, should be given in each pregnancy from the 27th week of gestation – preferably between the 27th and 32-, although it is admitted to advance it if there is a risk of premature birth, the pediatricians pointed out.
It is recommended because during the first three months of life, whooping cough is a serious disease and, in some cases, even fatal. Vaccinating the mother during pregnancy causes her to produce antibodies that reach the fetus through the placenta and protect it during the first months of life. In addition, it prevents the mother from suffering whooping cough and transmitting it to the baby.
flu shot
The flu vaccine is recommended at any time during pregnancy if it coincides with the flu season because the changes in the functioning of the woman’s body -immune, cardiovascular and respiratory systems- that occur during this stage increase the probability of complications of the natural flu.
On the other hand, this disease in the first trimester of pregnancy has been associated with problems in fetal development and, later, with an increase in preterm births and low birth weight. In addition, the newborn is also included in the risk groups for complications from the flu.
The coordinator of the AEP Vaccine Advisory Committee, Dr. Francisco Álvarez, stressed that “this year three vaccines will be included in the immunization schedule, such as meningococcal B in infants, human papilloma in males and influenza in children of 6 to 59 months. This year Andalusia, Galicia and Murcia have already been advanced, although this autumn all the autonomous communities and cities will be included.
However, “there are still three differences, which is why we urge the health authorities to recognize them to improve the health of children, such as the rotavirus vaccine, the meningococcal vaccine at 12 months, and whooping cough in adolescents.”
Vaccination coverage
He also pointed out that vaccination coverage in Spain is “spectacular, especially in young children” but “we must not lower our guard because in these days we are going to address the appearance of measles or polio if these coverages are lowered.”
The president of the AEP, Dr. Luis Blesa, insisted on the need to start from an agreed calendar at the inter-territorial level and we advocate a single calendar at the national level.
respiratory syncytial virus
Regarding RSV, pediatricians pointed out that it is the most frequent cause of hospitalization for lower respiratory tract infection in children under six months of age worldwide and represents a major health problem due to the number of consultations it generates in all areas. health care, the high number of hospitalizations and mortality at extreme ages of life even in developed countries.
To reduce the burden of RSV disease in the general population, the experts proposed a mixed approach that, in addition to monoclonal antibodies in newborns and infants under six months, contemplates vaccinations in other populations, such as pregnant women, older infants, children and the elderly, as well as other therapeutic options to deal with the pathogen.
In this sense, the expert in pediatric infectology from the Pediatrics service of the Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago and co-director of the XIV Conference on Vaccines of the AEP, Dr. Irene Rivero Calle, stressed that “right now there are a large number of studies underway focused on the prevention and treatment of RSV. In the short term there is, on the one hand, the vaccination of pregnant women and, on the other, that of adults, which is in a very advanced phase of study and it is likely that some will be approved at the end of this year or the beginning of the next one.
2023-05-27 22:49:53
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