Vaccines: this is the new calendar of the AEP
The Vaccine Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics has just updated its vaccination recommendations for children and adolescents based on the analysis and review of the latest scientific evidence. The main message of the ASP for the vaccination of children in 2018 is the recommendation of the human papilloma virus vaccine for males and the request for entry into the calendar of the anti-meningococcal vaccine B.
The Vaccine Committee of the AEP has just published the vaccine schedule that it considers appropriate for children residing in Spain. In this new vaccination schedule, systematic vaccines are collected from the current official Spanish calendars and some recommendations about vaccines not included in the official calendars, that is, those that are not financed by the Social Security such as rotavirus, meningococcus B, human papillomavirus in men and meningococcal tetravalent.
Vaccine calendar 2018
The changes of this year 2018 are few compared to previous years, and there are practically none in the first 15 months of children's lives. The star recommendation is vaccination with the rotavirus vaccine for lactating babies: it is administered in three doses with Rotateq (2, 4 and 6 months), and in two doses (2 and 4 months) with Rotarix.
The rest is established as before. In summary, the 3 doses of hexavalent vaccine are kept, we remember that they were 4 right until 2015), the 3 doses of the pneumococcal vaccine, which we know as Prevenar and which has been in the Autonomous Communities of the country for a year now, 2 doses of the meningitis C vaccine, instead of 3 as was done until 2015, one dose of the MMR vaccine of measles, rubella and mumps and one dose of the varicella vaccine.
Another important recommendation of the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the ASP is the vaccine of the meningitis B (Bexsero is not subsidized, the initial schedule is at 2, 4 and 6 months for the primary vaccination, and a recall between 12 and 15 months.) So that the doses of these vaccines are not combined with the systematic ones, the AEP recommendadminister them with a margin of 15 days.
Vaccines funded in the 2018 vaccination calendar
Regarding the financed vaccines, it is recommended to use the 2 + 1 scheme (2, 4 and 11-12 months) with vHexavalent Acids (DTPa-VPI-Hib-HBV) and with conjugated pneumococcal 13-valent It is advised a reinforcement at 6 years, preferably with DTPa, together with a dose of polio for those who received 2 + 1 schemes, as well as vaccination with Tdpa in adolescents and in each pregnancy between 27 and 32 weeks of gestation.
In addition, the Vaccine Committee of the AEP also recommends the use of two-dose regimens for triple viral (12 months and 2-4 years) and varicella (15 months and 2-4 years). If available, the tetravirus vaccine could be used in the second dose.
The Administration of the Papilloma vaccine is recommended for boys and girls. Although the Social Security subsidizes only the vaccine against the papillomavirus in girls of 12 years with two doses (0, 6 months), the AEP recommends the vaccination of males, given the potential benefits of it. The new vaccine of 9 genotypes, Gardasil 9, is already available, for both sexes and contains 5 serotypes more than the previous version.
Vaccines not funded in the 2018 vaccination calendar
Regarding non-funded vaccines, the recommendation is antimeningococcal B, with a 3 + 1 scheme, requesting its entry into the calendar.
Thinking of the aadolescents, from 14 years and up to 18, who are going to reside abroad, especially in countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom, the Vaccine Committee of the ASP also recommends individually the tetravalent conjugated meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY). This is a version that contains the 4 meningitis vaccines, that is, the A, C, W and Y, although they are rare in Spain, if it is recommended for young people who travel or have contact with travelers.
It is also recommended in people older than 6 weeks of age with risk factors or travelers to countries with a high incidence of serogroups included.
Marisol Nuevo Espín
