Although we associate vaccination with childhood, also preventive measures are needed in adolescence, especially vulnerable to some infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) or meningitis.
This was stated by Dr. Ignacio Salamanca, coordinator of the Research Unit at the Hispanic Institute of Pediatrics and moderator of a new session of VAC Talks 'Let's talk about prevention' organized by the pharmaceutical company GSK.
For Dr. Salamanca, adolescence is a stage that requires special attention, since it is in that period when risk behaviors can be initiated on which the focus should be placed and inform:
"It is an age group with special susceptibility to some preventable infections through vaccination, such as human papillomavirus (HPV), in both sexes, and meningitis."
In addition, it indicates that when offering information and recommending vaccines, health professionals must have adolescents and their parents.
In Babies and more Handbook of Vaccines for Parents: proven, scientific and truthful information on vaccines This is the vaccination schedule recommended by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) and that may vary according to the Autonomous Community where we reside.
Meningitis
“Meningitis are diseases on which the population is very sensitized and concerned, as are health professionals. The fact that it can affect any person and at any age, the sudden appearance of their symptoms and their rapid progression to severity, together with the failure of antibiotic treatment - in a high percentage fails to prevent death or serious sequelae - justify this concern. "
That's how blunt Dr. Salamanca shows himself when talking about a very serious infection caused by a bacterium (meningococcus) that affects the blood. It recognizes that it is vital that doctors solve them and make known the different possibilities of vaccination available, both within the systematic calendar and for non-funded vaccines.
The meningococcal C vaccine is present in all vaccine calendars, funded by Social Security. Immunization is achieved after three doses: one at four months, another at 12 months and a final dose at 12 years.
Meningitis B can leave important sequelae and even lead to death in approximately one in ten cases, according to the AEP Vaccine Advisory Committee.
There are currently two vaccines available: Bexsero (can be given from two months) and Trumenba, from 10 years of age.
Vaccination is not funded by the National Health System, except for some immunocompromised people, also for those who have had a meningococcal disease before and in case of outbreaks. They can be purchased with a prescription at pharmacies.
- Against ACWY Meningococci (MenACWY). It covers four kinds of meningitis (A, C, W and Y), and although it is not funded by public health, the AEP recommends its administration on certain international trips and in adolescence, especially after 14 years. And also if the child will reside in countries where the vaccine is indicated (USA, Canada, UK, Austria, Greece and Italy).
It can be purchased at the pharmacy, with the corresponding prescription.
In Babies and more An 11-month-old baby dies from meningitis in Lleida: types of meningitis and vaccines availableVaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV)
It is given to all girls, preferably at age 12, to prevent cervical, anal cancer and precancerous lesions of the genital tract in women.
Vaccination is effective especially if the infection has not occurred and this can only be ensured when sexual intercourse has not yet begun. Hence, preteens and teenagers are vaccinated.
In Babies and more, adolescent boys in the UK will be vaccinated against HPV, a measure also recommended by the AEPBut, although it is not included in the mandatory free calendar, the AEP also recommends it for children, whom it also affects. The vaccine is essential because:
The human papillomavirus (HPV), also called papillomavirus, affects more than half of people who have sex, but most of the time they fight without even noticing.
They can cause cervical or cervical cancer and or pharyngeal tumors (more common in men than in women).
Genital warts may also appear in men and women, benign but very annoying.
Men transmit the virus to women, and may end in uterine cancer.
Men who have sex with other men are a group of special risk for infection and tumors secondary to HPV.
The vaccine is given through an injection in the shoulder to all girls between 11 and 14 years old, according to the official vaccination schedules of the Autonomous Community. The complete schedule consists of 2 or 3 doses, in 6 months.
Hepatitis B vaccine (HB)
This vaccine, which is part of the official vaccination schedule, is given in different doses throughout the baby's first year. But the AEP recommends immunizing unvaccinated children and adolescents, at any age. Three doses of monocomponent vaccine or combined with hepatitis A are administered, with a 0, 1 and 6 month schedule.
Hepatitis B virus causes inflammation of the liver and various symptoms, such as lack of appetite, fatigue, fever, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting, yellow skin and cloudy urine. Occasionally, the virus is left in the body causing chronic hepatitis B.
Trivalent vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (Tdpa)
It is administered in five doses throughout childhood: 2 doses (at 2 and 4 months); third booster dose at 11-12 months; a fourth at six years and the last between 12 and 18 years (preferably between 12 and 14).
Diphtheria is a contagious respiratory disease that is contracted by the infection of the Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacteria. It affects the respiratory tract and spreads to organs such as the heart and the brain, causing irreparable damage or even death.
Tetanus is a very serious disease that occurs when wounds become contaminated with the toxin of the bacterium 'clostridium tetanus'.
It affects the central nervous system, causing widespread muscle stiffness, painful spasms, difficulty breathing and swallowing and seizures.
- Whooping cough is an infection caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria, it is spread by contact with contaminated objects by hands.
At first it looks like a cold, but then continues with persistent coughing attacks for several weeks, which almost do not let or breathe, and usually end up with vomiting.
It affects adults, and very dangerous in babies. In fact, it can cause you to enter an intensive surveillance unit (UVI) for respiratory failure.
The importance of immunization
We have to be aware that vaccines are the best way to protect our children from dangerous diseases and that they seemed to be eradicated.
The decrease in vaccine coverage in some countries puts all children at risk, as Dr. Salamanca explains when talking about the measles outbreak that has occurred in Europe this year:
"It is absolutely necessary to maintain high vaccination coverage to not only prevent preventable diseases individually through vaccination, but also to protect the weakest and most susceptible people.""It is a risk for the population that is not vaccinated because, for example, they are not of the age to do so or for those who suffer from chronic or serious diseases that make them more susceptible to infectious diseases."
Systematic vaccination coverage in Spain is high, compared to other countries around us. However, "The decrease in coverage has led to the return of infections that were overcome and even forgotten", explains the coordinator of the Research Unit at the Spanish Institute of Pediatrics, Dr. Ignacio Salamanca, who points out:
"It is in these countries where vaccination mandatory initiatives arise to try to control the re-emergence of infectious diseases."
And we stay with your recommendation by way of conclusion:
“The knowledge on the part of the patient, fruit of the information and recommendation, is the most important factor so that they follow one of the most safe, effective and effective preventive measures, such as vaccination”.
Photos | iStock
