The Minister of Health, Julio García Comesaña, inaugurated the XXIV Central Training Day on vaccines in which the latest developments in immunization for the prevention of communicable diseases are updated annually.
In his speech, accompanied by the general director of Public Health, Carmen Durán, the councilor recalled the latest additions to the Galician lifelong immunization calendar and which place Galicia as a national reference. “The lifelong vaccination schedule was renamed the lifelong immunization schedule after the incorporation of new products such as monoclonal antibodies for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus in babies,” said Comesaña when mentioning the recent initiation of immunization against RSV of all boys and girls born in Galician hospitals.
The day takes place in three tables dedicated to vaccination in adulthood, childhood immunization and the complete calendar, respectively, and have specialists in public health, epidemiology, preventive medicine and pediatrics.
Previously, the technicians of the General Directorate of Public Health developed workshops at the territorial level in the four provinces. For this reason, the Health Minister thanked the Public Health personnel for their efforts in organizing these training sessions, coinciding with the flu and covid vaccination and RSV immunization campaigns that are underway.
In this way, Galician health professionals are trained in the news of an immunization schedule that in 2023 added the antibody against the respiratory syncytial virus, the rotavirus vaccine and the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine in the child population, in addition to the shingles vaccine in adults. This results in the Xunta’s commitment to prevention through vaccination, with which it was a pioneer by also including last year the extension of the vaccine against meningitis B to all two-month-old babies, the incorporation of male children to vaccination against the human papillomavirus and the generalization of the childhood flu vaccine.
High participation in the flu and covid vaccination campaign
With one week left to complete the vaccination against flu and covid in residences for the elderly and people with disabilities, Galicia has vaccinated nearly 20,000 people and is close to achieving the goal of 24,000 in this segment of the target population.
Starting Monday, October 16, people over 80 years of age will be vaccinated at their reference health centers or at home if they have mobility problems. For greater ease, they will also be allowed to receive the vaccine at the mass vaccination centers that will open throughout this month of October. Regarding the flu, childhood vaccination will also begin on the 16th.
Regarding immunization against respiratory syncytial virus, acceptance by parents is the majority and, in the case of newborns in Galician hospitals during the campaign, coverage is 98%. Regarding babies born since April 1, 2023, Public Health is making appointments throughout this week and next via SMS and there are already 1,700 girls and boys immunized. In the case of the at-risk child population, the call is almost completed with 92% attendance of the total number of those cited. Thus, there are more than 2,500 babies immunized in Galicia according to the latest data from this Friday, October 5.
2023-10-07 10:44:00
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