Spanish pediatricians recommend a schedule that contemplates systematic vaccination against pneumococcus, vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) in girls at 11-12 years, the pertussis vaccine in adolescence, as well as the availability of vaccines against chickenpox and meningococcus B in offices of pharmacy.
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics also demands an optimal vaccination schedule that includes the vaccination criterion against pneumococcus to all children under five, as is done in 25 European countries, and in GaliciaThe Ministry of Health, on the other hand, does not include pneumococcal vaccination in its calendar, and in the opinion of the AEP, This decision is harmful to the health of Spanish children, and also to the image of Spain, which together with Portugal, is one of the only two countries in Western Europe that do not have immunization included.
Chickenpox and meningococcus: lack of availability continues
Before the blockade of the varicella vaccine by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), pediatricians request that it be available again in Spanish pharmacies and that parents, on the recommendation of professionals, can acquire it . Currently, the vaccine can be purchased at pharmacies in any European country except in Spain.
Another disease in which Spain is unprotected compared to the rest of Europe, according to the calendar of the Ministry, it is the meningococcus B, whose vaccine has been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for all children from 2 months of age and that parents in Europe can purchase at the pharmacy offices.
In addition, with respect to 2013, the vaccination schedule against meningococcus C is modified, with a dose in adolescence to prolong protection against the disease until adulthood. Likewise, the CAV insists on the convenience of administering the first dose of the triple viral vaccine (which includes measles, rubella, mumps) at 12 months of age and the second dose at 2-3 years, preferably at 2 years
On the other hand, and about HPV vaccination, The recommendation of the Vaccine Advisory Committee is to immunize at 11 or 12 years, and not at 14 years as recommended by the Ministry. Dr. Moreno indicates that it is about adjusting to guidelines adopted by countries in our environment such as France, Portugal, the United Kingdom or Italy.
The recommendation to add a dose of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine at 11-12 years is also maintained, since in recent years there has been an increase in cases of the disease in Spain, especially in young infants 3 months In addition, the Vaccine Advisory Committee supports the recommendation to vaccinate pregnant women in the third trimester as an optimal measure to lower this important rise in cases in infants.
