[Expert opinion on strategies to improve vaccination coverage against seasonal influenza]. / Documento de opinión de expertos para la mejora de la cobertura vacunal frente a la gripe estacional.

Seasonal flu continues to be a major public health concern, and the influenza vaccine remains the most effective preventive measure. In Spain, vaccination coverage data from previous seasons show vaccination rates well below official targets; however, these figures improved significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the importance of achieving and maintaining high vaccination rates in order to avoid the clinical and economic impact of influenza, our multidisciplinary group of experts on vaccines analyzed the impact of low vaccination rates in Spain and drafted a series of measures to boost influenza vaccination coverage, particularly among priority groups.

Immunisation schedule of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics: 2023 Recommendations

As it does every year, the CAV-AEP publishes the update of its recommendations for the use of vaccines in children, adolescents and pregnant women residing in Spain. The 2 + 1 schedule is maintained in infants (at 2, 4 and 11 months), including preterm infants, with the hexavalent vaccine (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HB) and the pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine. A booster dose with DTaP-IPV is needed at 6 years for those who received the 2 + 1 series with hexavalent vaccine as infants, in addition to 1 dose of dTap in adolescence. Routine vaccination of pregnant women with a dose of dTap is recommended in each pregnancy, preferably between weeks 27 and 32 of gestation, although can be given from 20 weeks if there is risk of preterm delivery. All infants should receive the rotavirus vaccine (2-3 doses) and the 4 CMenB vaccine (2 + 1 series). All children aged 6-59 months should be vaccinated against influenza each year, in addition to risk groups from 6 months. The MenACWY vaccine should be given routinely at 12 months of age and in adolescence between ages 12 and 18 years. The recommendations for the MMR vaccine (12 months and 3-4 years) and varicella vaccine (15 months and 3-4 years) also remain unchanged, using the MMRV vaccine for the second dose. Recommendations for the use of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in the paediatric age group will be updated periodically on the CAV-AEP website. The HPV vaccine is indicated in all adolescents, regardless of sex, at age 12 years. Novelties include the recommendation of routine administration of nirsevimab to neonates and infants aged less than 6 months for passive immunization against RSV, and the recommendations regarding the hexavalent vaccine are consolidated in a single section. Copyright © 2022 Asociacion Espanola de Pediatria

Sex-biased expression of the TLR7 gene in severe COVID-19 patients: Insights from transcriptomics and epigenomics.

There is abundant epidemiological data indicating that the incidence of severe cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is significantly higher in males than females worldwide. Moreover, genetic variation at the X-chromosome linked TLR7 gene has been associated with COVID-19 severity. It has been suggested that the sex-biased incidence of COVID-19 might be related to the fact that TLR7 escapes X-chromosome inactivation during early embryogenesis in females, thus encoding a doble dose of its gene product compared to males. We analyzed TLR7 expression in two acute phase cohorts of COVID-19 patients that used two different technological platforms, one of them in a multi-tissue context including saliva, nasal, and blood samples, and a third cohort that included different post-infection timepoints of long-COVID-19 patients. We additionally explored methylation patterns of TLR7 using epigenomic data from an independent cohort of COVID-19 patients stratified by severity and sex. In line with genome-wide association studies, we provide supportive evidence indicating that TLR7 has altered CpG methylation patterns and it is consistently downregulated in males compared to females in the most severe cases of COVID-19.

Immunisation schedule of the Pediatric Spanish Association: 2022 recommendations

After reviewing the best available scientific information, CAV-AEP publishes their new recommendations to protect pregnant women, children and adolescents living in Spain through vaccination. The same recommendations as the previous year regarding hexavalent vaccines, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine of 13 serotypes, booster with tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and inactivated poliomyelitis (Tdpa-IPV) at 6 years and with tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdpa) at 12–14 years and pregnant women from week 27 (from week 20 if there is a high risk of preterm delivery). Also with rotavirus, tetraantigenic meningococcal B (2 + 1), meningococcal quadrivalent (MenACWY), MMR, varicella and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, for both genders. As novelties this year the CAV-AEP recommends:. Influenza vaccination from 6 to 59 months of age whenever feasible and does not harm the vaccination program aimed at people at higher risk. According to official national recommendations, the CAV-AEP recommends the systematic use of COVID mRNA vaccines since 5 years old.

[Vaccination against community acquired pneumonia in adults. Update 2021 of the position paper by Neumoexpertos en Prevención Group]. / Vacunación frente a la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad del adulto. Actualización 2021 del posicionamiento del Grupo de Neumoexpertos en Prevención.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in adults. The aim of this study is to update the practical prevention guide for CAP through vaccination in Spain developed in 2016 and updated in 2018, based on available vaccines and evidence through bibliographic review and expert opinion. The arrival of COVID-19 as a new cause of CAP and the recent availability of safe and effective vaccines constitutes the most significant change. Vaccines against pneumococcus, influenza, pertussis and COVID-19 can help to reduce the burden of disease from CAP and its associated complications. The available evidence supports the priority indications established in this guide, and it would be advisable to try to achieve a widespread dissemination and implementation of these recommendations in routine clinical practice.

Vaccines for SARS-CoV-2: Practical update

The year 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, has launched an unprecedented effort in the search for a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The development of more than 250 vaccine candidates has begun, of which three have already been approved by European regulatory agencies. The strategies to develop them are varied, some vaccines have opted for a classical approach such as live attenuated virus, inactivated virus or viral subunit vaccines. In other cases, newer strategies have been employed, such as mRNA vaccines and the use of viral vectors. Among the most prominent vaccines are Moderna and Pfizer, both mRNA;Astra Zeneca and the Gamelaya Viral Vector Research Institute’s vaccines;the Sinovac inactivated virus vaccine and the Novavax subunit vaccine. All these vaccines use as antigen the spicular protein (Spike [S]) of the coronavirus. This article reviews the main vaccines against COVID-19 taking into account their mechanism of action, administration guideline, safety profile and efficacy.

Vacunas frente al sars-cov-2: Actualización práctica

The year 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, has launched an unprecedented effort in the search for a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The development of more than 250 vaccine candidates has begun, of which three have already been approved by European regulatory agencies. The strategies to develop them are varied, some vaccines have opted for a classical approach such as live attenuated virus, inactivated virus or viral subunit vaccines. In other cases, newer strategies have been employed, such as mRNA vaccines and the use of viral vectors. Among the most prominent vaccines are Moderna and Pfizer, both mRNA;Astra Zeneca and the Gamelaya Viral Vector Research Institute’s vaccines;the Sinovac inactivated virus vaccine and the Novavax subunit vaccine. All these vaccines use as antigen the spicular protein (Spike [S]) of the coronavirus. This article reviews the main vaccines against COVID-19 taking into account their mechanism of action, administration guideline, safety profile and efficacy. © 2020, Ediciones Ergon SA. All rights reserved.