The first vaccination campaign was carried out between October 2023 and March 2024 and was aimed at children born from last April. It reached 44,092 babies from 0 to 6 months, which represents 86% of the target population. Among newborns, coverage reached 95%. The process was carried out in Madrid’s maternity hospitals for newborns and in 5 machines that were enabled during the month of October. Starting in November, in addition to the maternity wards, one additional place was held at the Niño Jesús University Children’s Public Hospital for the rest of the babies who were likely to receive it. The monoclonal antibody Nersevimab is given in a single dose.
Madrid was one of the first regions in the country to introduce this ban against this common and contagious seasonal pathogen before its distribution, which usually increases in autumn and winter. Thanks to this measure, there has been a 65% reduction compared to last year in consultations for these pathologies carried out in Primary Care and a 90% reduction in hospital cases in children under age one year.
Children who did not receive the dose have an 18 times higher risk of developing severe forms of the disease with hospital admission than those who receive the vaccine. Protective antibodies are maintained after five months of administration in 80% of infants.
With the good results obtained, the Community of Madrid plans to carry out the next campaign, which will start in the autumn of this year and last until March 2025.
RSV causes annual epidemics worldwide and usually affects infants, although in some cases it affects the elderly and immunocompromised people. In general, its detection increases starting in October, reaching the peak of infection between December and January. In Spain it causes 78% of severe cases of bronchiolitis.
It is estimated that almost 10% of healthy children are hospitalized for this agent requiring intensive care. In the 2022/2023 season, more than 18,000 pediatric emergencies occurred in the region, more than 3,800 admissions to the hospital for children under the age of 1 year and 300 in pediatric ICUs.
In 2020, the General Directorate of Public Health introduced a network-based acute respiratory disease surveillance system health care centers which allows us to have weekly epidemiological data to make appropriate decisions. In fact, Madrid was a pioneer in introducing this circuit, which was later adopted in the rest of Spain.
2024-04-16 07:42:44
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