The Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Andalusia, Rocío Hernández, has confirmed that the flu vaccination campaign for the elderly will begin on October 9. This year, as in previous years, He will also receive the vaccine against Covid. This was announced by Hernández in an interview on Canal Sur Televisión collected by Europa Press, in which he indicated that the Ministry is currently “focusing” on vaccination against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the main cause of bronchiolitis, to “as much as possible to take”, and on the flu vaccine in young people.
RSV is the leading cause of bronchiolitis in infants, resulting in numerous emergency room and primary care visits, as well as hospital admissions each year. In this campaign, between 55,000 and 60,000 children are expected to be vaccinated, according to the Board’s calculations. These small children have received the medicine in their health center since 23 September. For the 2024/2025 campaign, 73,000 doses were purchased with a budget of 15.8 million euros. Likewise, these doses will be given to all babies born from this Monday until March 31, 2025, in the delivery room or maternity ward before discharge.
In addition, It will be given to children under one year of age with a history of prematurity of less than 35 weeksas well as other babies with very high chronic pathologies who are up to 24 months old. With this vaccine, infection with this virus is effectively and safely prevented, a respiratory condition that is, above all, in autumn and winter.
In this sense, Health has recommended all parents with children under the age of six months to accept the invitation for vaccination against RSV. This is the second time that Andalusia is doing a vaccination campaign against RSV. In 2023/2024, more than 93% of all children born between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024 received the drug. Those who received the vaccine had 80% fewer hospitalizations for RSV bronchiolitis than those who did not receive it and it is estimated that around 2,000 hospitalizations for bronchiolitis in children under six months of age were avoided in Andalusia as a result of this vaccination campaign.
In the case of the flu, The Board will give families the opportunity to vaccinate children under the age of 3 and 4 against the flu (first and second kindergarten) in schools. In addition, as a novelty on this course, from the age of two, the vaccine will be intranasal to avoid the puncture. The Ministry’s intention is that 60% of children up to four years of age receive the flu vaccine to protect themselves and their families, as the care of the little ones falls, in particular, on those oldest. The 2024/2025 flu vaccination campaign will start on 30 September for the population of children between 6 and 59 months and will be held in both schools and health centres.
2024-09-24 08:33:03
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