• Health Flu plus bacterial pneumonia: risk of death rises more than threefold
  • Health Recurrent respiratory infections in childhood raise risk of death from adult lung disease

The flu vaccine is extended this autumn, for the first time in Spain, to healthy children between 6 months and 5 years, which is an innovation, since before it was vaccinated exclusively to the child population with basic pathology.

All the communities and autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla have already acquired the doses for this year's influenza vaccination, which will benefit 1.6 million children, either the intranasal vaccine for those between 2 and 5 years old or the intramuscular vaccine for the youngest (from 6 to 23 months), explains to EFE the member of the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (CAV-AEV). Javier Alvarez.

Last year, influenza vaccination in this cohort of children was carried out only in three autonomous communities: Andalusia, Galicia and Murcia, with "magnificent" results and coverage of 50%, says this expert, who aspires to achieve coverage in Spain in autumn of 55 to 60% on average.

Although these coverages seem modest, they are very important since significant impacts are achieved "and the virus stops circulating or does so in smaller quantities, so not only the vaccinated but the people around them benefit," says this expert.

Álvarez points out that the administration of this vaccine to healthy children is done "to protect the vaccinated, but also because they are the main transmitters of influenza mainly in schools and nurseries, and spread the virus to the people with whom they live."

This expert recognizes that on the subject of the flu "it has cost a lot to make the population aware that it is not a banal disease" and is not exempt from complications, especially in the little ones: "The flu must be taken seriously," he warns.

Between 20-40% of children affected

In fact, influenza affects between 20 and 40% of the child population depending on the scope of the epidemic that year, and 5% of cases end up in hospitalization due to its severity.

Two-thirds of those children who are hospitalized are healthy, that is, they do not have underlying disease, so it is recommended "to vaccinate everyone, vaccinating is always a value," he reiterates.

Thus, this autumn the influenza vaccine, which is already on the calendar of the National Health System, will be administered to this cohort and to children with underlying pathology, whatever their age.

The flu can be co-administered with others: "the fewer vaccination acts you have, the better since the moments of stress overlap," he adds.

Also on this matter has been pronounced the member of the Permanent Group for Europe of the WHO and honorary member of the Spanish Association of Vaccinology (AEV), Amós García Rojas, who values that this year the healthy child population is included in the influenza vaccine for "its important role in the spread of the disease".

In statements to EFE, García Rojas insists that in countries where healthy children are already vaccinated "there is a marked decrease in cases of influenza in adults."

Covid vaccine, for risk groups

Also this autumn, the vaccination campaign against Covid is resumed with new serums, an intervention that, in the opinion of García Rojas, "will remain stable in the coming years" although only for at-risk population, on an annual basis and administered simultaneously to the flu vaccine.

"Covid has come to stay, it will not be diluted or blurred, it will continue with us and that implies that there will be profiles in the population with clear risk to which a booster dose will be given," says the former president of the AEV.

New vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax adapted to Covid-19 variants will be administered this year. The groups called to receive this anti-covid vaccine will be older, patients with risk pathologies, immunosuppressed, pregnant women and health workers.

Since most flu vaccines are distributed at the end of September and administered in October, "the goal is to have the updated Omicron XBB.1.5 adapted vaccine available at the same time."

Moderna guarantees that its updated vaccine "has shown a significant increase in neutralization of antibodies against the EG.5, FL 1.5.1, and XBB variants," and "will be ready for fall vaccination with a sufficient global supply."

  • Vaccines
  • Covid 19
  • Respiratory diseases