The flu vaccination has always focused on the network of health centers in Basic health care. However, the Ministry of Health has launched a new consultation in Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospitalprecisely in Maternal and child hospitalto administer the compound against the flu to children who come to the El Palmar health center because they are scheduled for a specialist visit or for a diagnostic test.
It’s about taking advantage of your visit to the hospital center so that in the same trip They can already be vaccinated against the fluthus avoiding the double trip to the health center for their parents.
The project was born as a pilot test that was presented a few weeks ago to the pediatricians of Arrixaca so that they are aware of its implementation and can therefore inform parents that they can have their children vaccinated against the flu in the centre.
Matilde Zornoza, pediatrician of the Vaccine Service of the Ministry of Health, explains that the new consultation it works one hundred percent since last Monday, December 12 and “with it we are trying to increase vaccination coverage among the child population due to the burden of disease among children”.
The Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital was chosen to start the project as it is the center where more children are seen every year and “it’s the right place to start” and then evaluate the results to see if it can be extended.
The consultation on influenza vaccination is managed by the Preventive Medicine Service and aims to immunize children belonging to priority groups of influenza vaccination or vaccination at risk under 5 years of age, as well as cohabitants belonging to risk groups, taking advantage of the day when patients go to the hospital for check-ups.
68% of hospitalized patients did not have any risk factors
The influenza virus represents a significant burden of disease in children under 5 years of age. Nationwide, between the 2013 and 2019 seasons, influenza in this age group accounted for an annual average of 58,640 Primary Care consultations. 68 percent of children under 5 who were hospitalized with a serious diagnosis were children without any disease or risk factor. In addition, the Region of Murcia is the first community to administer the pediatric flu vaccine through the nose in health centers to children aged between 2 and 5 years.
The doctor Alberto Torres, head of the preventive medicine service of Arrixacahe explains to La Opinión that “the flu has always been associated with the elderly, but this is not entirely true, since it also affects children and the burden of disease in them is very important”.
This year is the first time that the Region of Murcia includes healthy children under 5 years old in the flu vaccination campaign, which is why pediatricians and preventatives at Arrixaca are making an effort to advertise this option.
“Perhaps not enough attention has been paid to flu in children in the past, but with the pandemic covid we learned things like masks and vaccines protect us» says Dr. Torres.
Furthermore, he insists that this virus is different from that of the covid in minors, since “in the face of the SARS-CoV-2with which there was almost no incidence in children, with flu it is not like that and they are a target, so they must be protected and thus breaking the chain of contagion so they don’t bring it to the families.”
In the case of minors who need a second dose, after its administration, they will automatically be summoned to their health center. This is how you take advantage of it parents must accompany their children to the hospital consultation And, if flu vaccination is recommended, they are vaccinated, facilitating accessibility and avoiding travel.
The Ministry of Health informs that the prevention and pediatrics services will record a video to show it on televisions in waiting rooms and will inform parents who are going to consult. It’s an initiative whose goal is to increase coverage in the population campaign target and which could be exported to the rest of hospitals of the Region of Murcia once the results have been analysed.
Coverage barely exceeds 25% after a month and a half campaign
Vaccination coverage against complaint in children they are still very low, so the Ministry of Health is looking for initiatives with which bring immunization closer to families and prevent them from travellingas a new query of the Arrixaca or vaccination in schools themselves.
The latest data on immunizations show that coverage in children under 5 years of age is at 25.3%, 17,014 children out of the 67,254 who should have received the dose against the flu, a month and a half after the start of vaccination.
However, this is also related to the fact that it is the first time this has happened children from 6 months to 5 years healthy in the countryside, so there is no habit among families to make an appointment to get vaccinated against the flu.
Maximum coverage is in Ojos, with 71.4%, because it is a population with few children. This joint is followed by cheheginwith 48.28%, e Bullaswith 47.49%.
