The Spanish Ministry of Health in Andalucía has announced plans to promote awareness of the flu vaccine for schoolchildren in the region
Health officials are working on various measures to promote flu vaccinations for children. During the first month since the campaign began, the child vaccination data is lower than expected.
This was reported on Monday, November 14 by The Deputy Minister of Health and Families, Catalina García. The minister estimated that only 16.4% of the target population (children between 6 and 59 months and up to 4 years and eleven months) had received the flu dose.
There are slightly more than 51,000 children vaccinated out of the 311,400 minors in the aforementioned age group. That is according to the estimates provided by the Board.
Childhood vaccination has become one of the most important events of this year’s flu campaign, which began on October 17.
Health expects the endemic peak of the flu to arrive within the next three weeks. To prevent multiple infections, they will also intensify flu vaccination in children under 5 years of age by opening health centers in the afternoon, “thinking, above all, in parents who work in the morning”.
In total, there will be 408 of the 1,500 health centers in Andalucía open in the evenings for vaccination.
Risk factors
García said that it has been shown that the highest incidence of flu does not occur in the elderly but in children in the aforementioned age group, who “have the same level of hospitalisation” as the elderly, and who are, moreover, vehicles transmission among vulnerable people.
Also, the counsellor added that “half of the deaths from influenza in children occur in patients without risk factors,” estimating that “influenza vaccination is 65% effective in preventing deaths associated with influenza in these children.” Regarding childhood vaccination, the Board stressed that the vaccine is “effective and safe.”
