[An update on vaccines. Theory, realities and myths (I)]. / Actualización en vacunas. Teoría, realidades y mitos (I).

Vaccines are biological products used to achieve active artificial immunization. Nowadays, vaccines are increasingly powerful, effective and safe. The list of vaccine-preventable diseases is expanding, which together with the increasing population likely to be vaccinated, it is expected that vaccine products will increase this century. This article is a brief but practical overview of the concept and types of vaccines, advances that have taken place recent decades on the fundamentals of the immune response and vaccine components (including the role of adjuvants). These concepts give rise to the criteria for when and how to vaccinate, to whom and why not to do it. With the hope that this text is useful, it ends with a brief overview as to why there are people who refuse vaccinations.

[An update on vaccines. Theory, realities and myths (and II) update in the Spanish vaccine schedule]. / Actualización en vacunas. Teoría, realidades y mitos (II) Actualización de calendarios vacunales españoles.

The criteria for modifying the immunization schedule depends on the disease (load, frequency, morbidity and mortality, killing potential) of the vaccine (immunogenicity, efficacy, effectiveness, efficiency, compatibility, safety and assurance of supply) and society (impact on the population and the health system, perception of disease in the population). In Spain there are 19 different vaccine schedules that are not justified from a health, epidemiological, social or economic perspective. The Spanish Association of Paediatrics recommends: vaccinating against rotavirus from the sixth week, against papillomavirus in preadolescent girls, achieving universal pneumococcal protection, administering a second dose of varicella at 3-4 years, changing the indications of the pertussis vaccine and flu vaccine and hepatitis A risk. We will review further the vaccines that have recently been introduced: rotavirus, pneumococcus and papillomavirus and mention the major changes in existing ones.

Actualización en vacunas. Teoría, realidades y mitos (II) Actualización de calendarios vacunales españoles / An update on vaccines. Theory, realities and myths (and II) Update in the Spanish vaccine schedule

En España existen 19 calendarios diferentes que no se justifica desde un punto de vista sanitario, epidemiológico, social o económico. La Asociación Española de Pediatría recomienda vacunar: frente rotavirus a partir de las sexta semana, frente a papilomavirus en niñas preadolescentes, universalizar la vacuna antineumocócica, administrar una segunda dosis de varicela a los 3-4 años, cambiar indicaciones de la vacuna de la tos ferina y vacunar de gripe y hepatitis A en situaciones de riesgo. Repasaremos más detenidamente las vacunas que han sido recientemente introducidas: rotavirus, neumococo, papiloma y mentaremos los principales cambios en las ya existentes. Los criterios para introducir modificaciones en el calendario de vacunación dependen de la enfermedad (carga, frecuencia, morbimortalidad, potencial de eliminación), de la vacuna (inmunogenicidad, eficacia, efectividad, eficiencia, compatibilidad, seguridad y garantía de suministro) y de la sociedad (impacto sobre la población y el sistema sanitario, percepción de la enfermedad por la población) (AU)

The criteria for modifying the immunization schedule depends on the disease (load, frequency, morbidity and mortality, killing potential) of the vaccine (immunogenicity, efficacy, effectiveness, efficiency, compatibility, safety and assurance of supply) and society (impact on the population and the health system, perception of disease in the population). In Spain there are 19 different vaccine schedules that are not justified from a health, epidemiological, social or economic perspective. The Spanish Association of Paediatrics recommends: vaccinating against rotavirus from the sixth week, against papillomavirus in preadolescent girls, achieving universal pneumococcal protection, administering a second dose of varicella at 3-4 years, changing the indications of the pertussis vaccine and flu vaccine and hepatitis A risk. We will review further the vaccines that have recently been introduced: rotavirus, pneumococcus and papillomavirus and mention the major changes in existing ones (AU)

Actualización en vacunas. Teoría, realidades y mitos (I) / An update on vaccines. Theory, realities and myths (I)

Las vacunas son productos biológicos utilizados para conseguir una inmunización activa artificial. Actualmente hay vacunas cada vez más potentes, eficaces y seguras. Se está ampliando la lista de enfermedades prevenibles con vacunas, que, junto a la cada vez mayor población susceptible de ser vacunada, hace previsible que aumenten los productos vacunales en este siglo. Este artículo pretende ser un breve pero práctico, resumen del concepto y tipos de vacunas, los avances acontecidos en las últimas décadas sobre fundamentos de la respuesta inmunitaria y componentes de las vacunas (destacando el papel de los adyuvantes). Estos conceptos acarrean los criterios de cuándo, cómo vacunar, a quiénes y por qué no hacerlo. Con la ambición de que este texto sea útil finalizará con un somero repaso al porqué hay personas que rechazan las vacunas (AU)

Vaccines are biological products used to achieve active artificial immunization. Nowadays, vaccines are increasingly powerful, effective and safe. The list of vaccine-preventable diseases is expanding, which together with the increasing population likely to be vaccinated, it is expected that vaccine products will increase this century. This article is a brief but practical overview of the concept and types of vaccines, advances that have taken place recent decades on the fundamentals of the immune response and vaccine components (including the role of adjuvants). These concepts give rise to the criteria for when and how to vaccinate, to whom and why not to do it. With the hope that this text is useful, it ends with a brief overview as to why there are people who refuse vaccinations (AU)