MURCIA. The Health Minister, Juan José Pedreñoand the Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Victor Marinthey visited the CEIP Our Lady of Atochawhere Early Childhood Education students will begin to be vaccinated against the flu. The Ministry of Health is vaccinating all children enrolled in Early Childhood Education against the flu in schoolsin order to make this immunization easier for families.
This protection began to be applied on September 30, and for that reason the Ministers of Health and Education and Vocational Training, Juan José Pedreño and Víctor Marín, visited the Nuestra Señora de Atocha school in Murcia today.
For this 2024-2025 school year, school vaccination against flu has been expanded to all children enrolled in the Early Childhood Education stage, that is, it will be applied to those aged 2, 3, 4 and 5, about 40,000 schoolchildren. , while the last course was administered to 3 and 4 year olds (born in 2020 and 2019).
Pedreño explained that “the administration of the vaccine in schools facilitates the immunization of minors, so that parents do not have to transport them to health centers or regular vaccination stations for this purpose, which is also a more effective strategy.” equitable.”
For his part, the Minister of Education highlighted that “vaccination in educational centers allows us to reduce the contagion of vulnerable students, such as children, prevents students from missing several days of school because they have the flu, and at the same time we achieve “Safer classrooms, reducing the spread of the virus and contributing to herd immunity.”
Influenza in children up to 5 years old can be a major illness, as it generates a high number of visits to the pediatrician as well as hospital admissions.
The Region was the first autonomous community to bring flu vaccine immunization to all schools during the 2023/2024 academic year to protect children born in 2019 and 2020 (1st and 2nd grade), a strategy that has already been announced by others. communities that are going to implement it in this 2024/2025 academic year, such as Andalusia, the Valencian Community or the Balearic Islands.
The intranasal flu vaccination is much more convenient, since it avoids the puncture. The use of this vaccine is common in neighboring countries since, in addition to being very safe and having almost no adverse effects, it is easy to administer.
Next Wednesday, October 9, the vaccination campaign against respiratory infections will begin, which includes influenza and seasonal doses of the adapted vaccine against COVID-19 in residences for the elderly and people with disabilities, in order to immunize people. who are at greater risk of presenting complications, and those workers who are part of their environment.
Pedreño explained that as of October 14, the administration of the flu vaccine and the seasonal dose against COVID-19 for people aged 60 or older will begin in health centers and the usual vaccination points.
In addition, other groups such as health workers, essential personnel and risk and priority groups, such as pregnant women, will be vaccinated, both to protect themselves and the future baby. People in non-priority flu vaccination groups will be able to get vaccinated in the month of December, after that of priority groups. This year there are 398,000 doses available, which could be expanded to 455,000 if necessary.
At the same time, the flu vaccine will be administered in health centers to minors born in 2019 and subsequent years, as long as they are 6 months old.
As in other seasons, workers directly exposed to birds or pigs on poultry or swine farms or operations are candidates for influenza-only vaccination. However, for the 2024/2025 campaign, the Ministry of Health will carry out specific actions with the occupational risk prevention services of these companies to make this vaccination more accessible to their workers.
The counselor highlighted that “flu vaccination and the administration of seasonal doses of vaccine adapted against COVID-19 is the most effective preventive measure to prevent complications derived from these infections.”
In addition, healthy people who are 65 years of age or older or who have risk pathologies should take the opportunity to review their pneumococcal vaccination. While those born in 1944, 1958 and 1959 are advised to review their shingles vaccination, provided they have not yet received the vaccine.
The total cost of this flu vaccination campaign amounts to 3,785,278 euros, 1,400,278 more than the last one, since more doses of improved immunity have been purchased to protect people aged 75 years or older.