For this season of circulation of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a respiratory pathology that mainly affects young children, the Ministry of Health and Social Services has acquired the monoclonal antibody Nirsevimab, which will be administered in a similar way to a vaccine. a single dose to children born between October 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, between 24 and 48 hours after birth, and to children born between March 1, 2023 and the current moment.
For this reason, technicians from the Ministry “are offering talks to public and private health personnel (pediatricians and DUEs) who will be in charge of the administration of this antibody to disseminate information about the indications for use, forms of presentation and other related aspects. with its dispensation These talks are being held between INGESA and private healthcare personnel,” the City says in a statement.
Until the approval by the European authorities of this new drug, in October 2022, “only the drug Palivizumab was available, an antibody authorized since 1999 that has been used to prevent RSV in the pediatric population with a very high risk of severe disease. but it was necessary to administer it monthly during the RSV season, generally administering five doses intramuscularly. With the approval of Nirsevimab, which provides passive immunity against the virus, in addition to the immunization of children, very favorable epidemiological repercussions could be achieved, such as delay in the age of acquisition of the infection, considering that the clinical manifestations of the disease are milder as age increases. .
Likewise, the Ministry calls on “the families of children who were born since April 1 of this year, until the publication of this news and who have not been immunized, to contact their health center.” of references in order to request information and an appointment: if they are affiliated with Social Security, they should go to their health center and in the case of private mutual societies, to their pediatrician’s office.
RSV “is the main cause of lower respiratory tract infections with serious complications such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under 1 year of age, according to the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, it is responsible for between 15,000 and 20,000 emergency pediatric visits, hence the importance of families being informed of the latest news regarding immunization through their pediatricians.
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2023-10-07 09:45:03
#Health #trains #pediatricians #RSV #vaccine