Saturday, November 4, 2023, 08:29
Vaccination saves lives, and having adequate and accurate information about vaccines is essential. Likewise, the nurses Mónica Eva Nieto Benito – nurse specialist in Pediatric Nursing at the El Ranero Health Center and responsible for vaccinations – and María José Galiana – nurse specialist in Family and Community Nursing and head of Nursing at the Health Center of the Barrio del Carmen – they delve into vaccines that can prevent serious diseases and that, due to lack of knowledge, some patients do not know that they should be inoculated, such as the pneumococcus vaccine.
-What is pneumococcus?
-María José Galiana. Rather than talking about pneumococcus, we should talk about pneumococcal disease, which can include many different types of infection. Most pneumococcal infections are mild. However, some can be deadly. Among the serious diseases we find meningitis, bacteremia or pneumonia, and among the less serious, but more common diseases, sinusitis or otitis media.
-Who can get the pneumococcus vaccine and why is its administration recommended?
-MJG: Currently, the pneumococcus vaccination protocol of the Ministry of Health of the Region of Murcia establishes several situations. On the one hand, vaccination is aimed at people who turn 65 years old, so that they are vaccinated with a single dose of Pneumococcus 20. And on the other hand, it is important that all those people between 65 and 80 years old who have not previously been vaccinated also receive the vaccine. In addition, vaccination for those over 18 years of age included in risk groups such as: chronic cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease (including asthma and cystic fibrosis), diabetes mellitus, celiac disease, chronic non-cirrhotic liver disease, cirrhosis and chronic alcoholism, neurological disease and neuromuscular, CSF fistula and cochlear implant (or waiting to have one), history of confirmed invasive pneumococcal disease, confirmed lung pathology after suffering from covid-19 and institutionalized people.
-Children also receive their doses of pneumococcus vaccines in the vaccination schedule, is this true?
-Mónica Eva Nieto Benito: In our Region, on March 1, 2015, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was introduced into the children’s vaccination schedule, with a three-dose schedule in the first year of life (2, 4 and 11 months of age). . Pneumococcus vaccines are also included for at-risk children.
«The Region of Murcia is a pioneer in the intranasal flu vaccination campaign; This year, it has intensified and expanded coverage.”
-The vaccination schedule is different depending on the autonomous community in which you live. What is it like in the Region of Murcia?
-MENB: They are different despite the fact that each time they try to be as homogeneous as possible. Starting in 2019, the calendar for life is created, covering vaccination from the prenatal to adult stages. In the Region of Murcia, we are pioneers in vaccination campaigns, such as that for intranasal flu, which is administered from two years of age. It was launched last year and this year it has been intensified, expanding coverage, since it is being administered to three and four-year-old children at their school, with prior consent from their family. Last September, we also began to immunize newborn children, children under six months of age, and pediatric patients at risk against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), in order to reduce bronchiolitis infection, a campaign that will last until March. 2024. We could consider that our autonomous community is committed to vaccine programs; We are pioneers at the national level. The ultimate goal should be to reach a single national calendar that is equitable in all communities.
-What other vaccines are administered these months?
-MENB: Right now we are immersed in the vaccination campaign for seasonal viruses with the flu and covid vaccine. In addition, it is the perfect time for us nurses to review the vaccination schedules and be able to offer the pneumococcus vaccine to people who need it. We also have an active campaign against the herpes zoster virus, aimed at people born in 1958 and those who have suffered from it on more than two occasions, as well as people over 50 years of age who receive treatment with immunosuppressants or immunomodulators.
-In the health centers where you work, numerous community activities are carried out, some about vaccines?
-MJG: The Barrio del Carmen Health Center is very active at the community level, we firmly believe in prevention and health promotion as the main objective of Primary Care, since we have to be where the population is, so we We go to schools and senior centers to explain the vaccination campaigns and resolve any doubts they may have. This year, we have participated in the Olfatin School Flu Vaccination Project.
-MENB: At the El Ranero Health Center, different strategies have been initiated with the aim of informing the population, including the opportunity for seasonal flu vaccination, the recruitment of the target population or risk groups. Community activities such as talks are also carried out in senior centers, increasing the empowerment of the population.
-You, María José Galiana, are very active on social networks, (@galiana_enfermera on Instagram). Do you think good nursing dissemination is being done through these media?
-MJG: I think there are many health professionals doing very good health dissemination on social media. I contribute my grain of sand by making visible the work that nurses do every day. I like to be connected in networks with other colleagues, which allows me to stay up to date and meet professionals with the same interests, such as @luciamipediatra @lovenursingmery @pediatribu and many more. Vaccination saves lives and it is the responsibility of nurses to provide truthful information about health, dismantle myths and reach the population.
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2023-11-04 07:29:33
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