Few days ago it has occurred the approval of a single vaccination schedule for the whole Spanish territory, but the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, the Spanish Association of Vacunology and the Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Hygiene have wanted to mark their position in this regard.
The Scientific Societies in a statement show their concern for "a unique vaccine calendar of minimums" that the Ministry of Health has approved and that it is a setback to the process of agreeing the calendar among all the Autonomous Communities.
The claim of a single vaccine calendar is old, mainly by these societies, but the difficulties to reach a consensus were already visible. As it seems that the calendar arrives without a consensus and if you have the opinions of the experts, they wanted to clarify your opinion.
According to these societies, the decision of the Ministry
it puts us in the worst possible scenario, since it creates problems where there are none, forcing different autonomous communities (CC. AA.) to apply logistical changes of great economic impact and doubtful health benefit, and also, juggles all the expectations that health professionals in this country had deposited in the achievement of a Vaccine Calendar according to the needs of the population residing in Spain.
The new unique calendar
According to the Ministry, it is the first time that all health services agree to administer the same vaccines for free and at the same ages in all Autonomous Communities, which will facilitate the achievement of universal coverage and will be at the level of the most complete in Europe.
But there are Communities that have already shown their disagreement, and the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Autonomous Government of the Basque Country are unmarked.
The agreement is a continuation of the one adopted in February last year, in which all Autonomous Communities set homogeneous guidelines for administering hepatitis B, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, haemofilus influenzae and polio vaccines, as well as triple viral and booster dose of tetanus and diphtheria.
Now, the common calendar has been completed coordinating doses and ages in which the pertussis, human papillomavirus, meningococcus C and chickenpox vaccines will be given.
But, Is this "minimum calendar" the best according to experts? Have they supported it? It seems not.
The position of the Scientific Societies
He communiqué signed by the AEP, the AEV and the SEMPSPH It focuses on several aspects, starting with the request for more time in the maturation of the consensus process, which has been broken. They do not refuse to establish a unique calendar (in fact they have been the main drivers for a long time), but they want to do it in a thoughtful and reasoned way to avoid damage to the population.
In addition, they claim the priority of vaccination with conjugate vaccines against pneumococcus in children under five years, and fundamentally in children under two years (currently, only Galicia offers it universally in infants).
They also refer to whooping cough, since the current epidemiological situation, characterized by an increase in the incidence of this disease in various countries with a socioeconomic context similar to ours, makes it necessary to exercise vigilance over it, and it is likely that they have to take vaccination measures.
Finally, the AEP, the AEV and the SEMPSPH do not share the possibility that the available vaccines or those that will be available soon, will become of hospital use and wish to carry out all the proactive vaccination activities that can be carried out, the better with the health authorities.
Definitely, Scientific Societies show their disagreement with the new single vaccine calendar and they do not want to appear referenced as partners in the publication of the decisions already taken by the Ministry for said calendar. We will see how this topic ends, because it seems that it will continue to speak ...
