he Health DepartmentThrough the Catalan Public Health Secretariat, it is working on the new vaccination schedule for 2025, which is set to include vaccination against whooping cough for adolescents aged 11 and 12; against rotavirus for children born after January 2025; and, in addition, during 2025, vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) will begin for all unvaccinated boys who have passed the sixth grade and up to the age of 18.
In Catalonia, vaccination recommendations are periodically reviewed to include new recommendations and adapt them to the needs of the population. These recommendations are also adapted based on the agreements adopted by the Public Health Committee of the Interregional Council of the National Health System of the Ministry, as well as the recommendations of the Vaccination Advisory Council, making them based on the epidemiology of immunologically preventable diseases, the availability of new vaccines or other immunization products, their effectiveness and safety, etc.
Whooping cough vaccination from 11-12 years of age
Taking into account the epidemiological situation of increasing cases of whooping cough at international, state and Catalan level, the Advisory Council on Vaccinations of the Ministry of Health has recommended replacing the 14-year-old dose of the diphtheria-tetanus vaccine with a dose at 11-12 years of age of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine.
With this amendment, unvaccinated boys and girls aged 11, 12 and 14 will be recruited.
The Ministry of Health accepted the recommendation and began its implementation processes (processing of inclusion in the calendar, budget reserve, start of recruitment processes). This measure will come into effect as of the publication of the new calendar and during the 2024-25 academic year (during April and May 2025).
In our country, a continuous decrease in the number of pertussis cases was observed from 2015 to 2022, when only 65 cases were diagnosed throughout the region. However, since then, there has been a marked increase, with 567 cases in 2023 and 11,614 cases in the first four months of 2024. This increase in cases has been mainly due to an increase in infections in the 5-14 age group and especially between 10 and 14 years.
Whooping cough is an infectious disease that can affect all ages, and is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The most characteristic symptoms vary with age. In children under 3 months of age, they are usually similar to a cold or cough that lasts a few days with little or no fever. Older people have bouts of a dry, long-lasting cough, which is worse at night, and can last for several weeks.
In children, whooping cough can be serious and complicated (apneic crisis, cyanosis, sepsis, pneumonia and encephalopathy), leave sequelae or even be fatal.
In Catalonia, pertussis is included in the vaccination schedule at 2 and 4 months as a primary vaccination with the hexavalent vaccine, and at 11 months a refresher with the hexavalent vaccine, plus a second refresher dose at 6 years. In addition, vaccination is recommended for pregnant women in order to protect children until vaccination begins.
Vaccination is the main preventive measure, but it does not provide lifelong protection. That’s why it’s important to get all the recommended doses.
Vaccinating children against rotavirus
Acute viral gastroenteritis (GAE) is one of the most common diseases in pediatrics and causes significant resource consumption. Rotavirus (RV) infection is one of the most common causes of GEA worldwide, including in our environment. Common symptoms include diarrhea, nausea and/or vomiting, and sometimes fever.
The vast majority of cases of hepatitis C are reported in children under 5 years of age and complications that can result include severe dehydration, with a loss of body water of 10-15%, changes in hydrolysis and acid-base balance and neurological complications, more frequent in the first two years of life.
Taking into account the impact of infection and possible complications, in Catalonia it is planned that rotavirus vaccination will be included in all children born from January 2025.
The vaccine was approved statewide in January of this year, and is planned to be available statewide by the end of 2025.
More protection against HPV
The HPV vaccine is currently given in Catalonia to all girls and all boys aged 11 and 12 (in the sixth year of primary school), with a vaccination schedule consisting of two doses at this age. We remember that the vaccination is not also included for boys (born in 2011) until the 2022-2023 school year, because previously this vaccination was only given to girls.
Starting from the next academic year 2024-25, it is planned that one dose of HPV vaccine will be given to boys and girls in the sixth grade, as the change was approved at the last meeting of the Public Health Committee in July 2024. The guideline is from two doses to one dose in the groups where vaccination is recommended (for girls and boys up to the age of 25).
In addition, during 2025, vaccination will begin for all boys over the sixth grade and up to the age of 18 (inclusive) who have not yet been vaccinated. It should be remembered that the vaccination of boys began with those born in 2011, and therefore it will now be offered to all boys born between 2007 and 2011. They will be informed in due course about the entire vaccination process.
Additionally, due to the statewide approval of the new one-dose HPV vaccine recommendation for girls and boys through age 25, the new guideline is effective immediately for those currently indicated for vaccination for girls and boys ages 19 to 25.
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