The Importance of Vaccination and Public Perception in Spain: Post-Pandemic Trends

The importance of vaccination and its achievements are indisputable issues. «We have all seen how we were two years ago and how we are now. There was a before and after vaccination for the covid ”, emphasizes José Ignacio Aguado, general director of Public Health. Spain has traditionally turned to vaccinations, where very high coverage has been achieved in practically all doses on the calendar.

The pandemic did nothing more than confirm the social support that made Spain one of the leading countries in immunity. La Rioja reached 90.9% of its population with the complete guideline against the coronavirus. A 2018 European study, before COVID, tested confidence in vaccines in the member states, placing Spain among those with the greatest support for this public health tool when citizens value its importance (96.1%) , efficacy (94%) and safety (91.6%).

Some voices have warned in recent times of an increase in distrust of vaccines after the pandemic, despite the ‘shock’ that it caused and the current normality after so many complete guidelines. Unicef, in a recent report, analyzed this issue in 55 countries and only in 3 of them had the value of vaccines for children increased after the covid ‘tsunami’.

In Spain there had been a drop from 93% to 88% in their trust and consideration. Despite everything, the presence of anti-vaccine theses continues to be testimonial, compared to the greater repercussion it has in other European countries or the United States. “If in Spain there are few anti-vaccines, in La Rioja they are fewer, we have not detected anything in this regard except for isolated cases,” says Aguado.

a slight decline

The analysis of the data without contextualizing it can prophesy a boom in rejection among La Rioja families. The main vaccines received by children from two months of age to three years have reduced their reach over the target population by approximately 3%. Although this decrease may raise alarms, the coverage is still very high: 95% in the conjugate pneumococcal vaccine and in the hexavalent ones (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, haemophilus influenzae, polio and Hepatitis B); triple viral at 96%; meningitis C, with 93.8%; the recent one for varicella zoster, with 89% three times higher than five years ago…

From the health establishments, the messages are reassuring and qualify this slight decrease in the first vaccinations. «The data for the last two years is skewed by the very complicated pandemic situation in which we have been. We have not noticed a decrease, the behavior of the people of La Rioja continues to be very good with respect to vaccines, “reports José Ignacio Aguado.

In this regard, the Director General of Public Health indicates that the number of people over 65 years of age vaccinated against influenza rose in the last campaign, from 65% in 2017 to 78%. Vaccine coverage also increased in the whooping cough dose for pregnant women (98.9%) and the success of the human papillomavirus in adolescents (91.5%) continues, which from this course on will also include males .

“Whether at the regional or national level, confidence in vaccines has increased after the pandemic,” says Aguado, who adds that their relevance goes from the individual level “to protect ourselves and avoid having a serious disease” to the collective “to care for the most vulnerable”. And it is that, he concludes, “not only in vaccines, the population is more aware of the importance of prevention and having healthy habits.”