SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Oct. 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The immunization campaign against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that will be faced during the season of exposure to this seasonal virus will begin in the archipelago on October 5 and it will be the professionals from the SCS health centers who will contact the parents of the susceptible users to make an appointment to access vaccination.
The campaign was presented today, Monday, by the general director of Public Health, José Díaz-Flores; the head of the Epidemiology and Prevention service, Amós García; and the pediatrician Luis Ortigosa at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
RSV is a highly contagious virus and can be easily spread in the community, including daycares, schools, and homes. It is the main cause of acute infection in the lower respiratory tract among children under one year of age, especially those related to bronchiolitis and pneumonia, against which until now no generalized pharmacological preventive measure, such as vaccines, was available.
During his speech, José Díaz-Flores pointed out that the General Directorate of Public Health has managed to complete the logistics of this new immunization in the Canary Islands, being one of the first Autonomous Communities, along with Galicia, Navarra and Andalusia, to provide this protection tool. against RSV in neonates and infants.
For the prevention of RSV infections, the General Directorate of Public Health has acquired two batches of the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (Beyfortus), made up of 4,400 doses of 100 mg and 7,650 doses of 50 mg, for administration for the first time among the population. Diana. The cost of the acquisition was 2,518,450 euros.
For his part, Luis Ortigosa assured that RSV has been a concern for the medical community since the discovery of the virus in 1955, but only now is an effective preventive measure available. An infant is most vulnerable in the first months of life, because her immune system is not yet fully developed and cannot protect itself.
All infants are at risk for severe RSV infection. Although the majority of infants infected with RSV have mild symptoms, they can worsen very quickly, so immunization is very important as it provides protection at that stage of life.
On October 31, 2022, the European Commission authorized the new monoclonal antibody, nirsevimab, for the prevention of the disease caused by RSV in neonates and infants, whose marketing has recently been authorized by the European Medicines Agency, due to its safety, effectiveness and long-term, as well as the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products.
INCREASE IN CASES
Amós García reported during the press conference that in the last 2022-2023 season, the Epidemiology and Prevention Service of the General Directorate of Public Health has observed an excess of epidemic peak and hospitalizations due to RSV infection in the Canary Islands, associated with the lack of exposure of the child population in previous seasons due to the measures used to control the Covid-19 pandemic and other possible factors, such as viral interference, that distorted the seasonality of RSV.
This seasonality of RSV infections causes tensions each year in both primary care and hospitals, since it coincides with the seasonal flu season, to which covid-19 is also added. With this new immunization, in which associations of pediatricians, Nursing and Public Health have collaborated, and which was widely demanded by health workers and families, the possible overload in the health system is alleviated.
The new antibody requires a single puncture in neonates and infants, and is aimed at everyone. The previously available antibody, only for the at-risk population, required a total of 5 punctures to guarantee protection against RSV.
