[Child hospital admissions associated with influenza virus infection in 6 Spanish cities (2014-2016)]. / Hospitalizaciones infantiles asociadas a infección por virus de la gripe en 6 ciudades de España (2014-2016).

INTRODUCTION: There are only a limited number of studies on the impact of influenza in the Spanish child population. The present work intends to increase this knowledge by studying some key aspects, such as the incidence of hospital admissions, clinic variables, comorbidities, and the vaccination status in the hospitalised children. METHODS: A retrospective, observational study was conducted by reviewing the medical records of children under 15 years and hospitalised due to community acquired influenza confirmed microbiologically, during 2́flu seasons (2014-2015 and 2015-2016). The study was carried out in 10 hospitals of 6cities, which represent approximately 12% of the Spanish child population. RESULTS: A total of 907 children were admitted to hospital with main diagnosis of influenza infection (447 <2 years), estimating an average annual rate of hospitalisation incidence of 0.51 cases / 1,000 children (95% CI; 0.48-0.55). Just under half (45%) of the cases had an underlying disease considered a risk factor for severe influenza, and most (74%) had not been vaccinated. The percentage of children with underlying diseases increased with age, from 26% in children <6 months to 74% in children >10 years. Admission to the PICU was required in 10% (92) of the cases, mainly due to acute respiratory failure. CONCLUSION: Influenza continues to be an important cause of hospitalisation in the Spanish child population. Children <6 months of age and children with underlying diseases make up the majority (> 50%) of the cases. Many of the severe forms of childhood influenza that occur today could be avoided if current vaccination guidelines were met.

[Immunisation schedule of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics: 2017 recommendations]. / Calendario de vacunaciones de la Asociación Española de Pediatría (CAV-AEP): recomendaciones 2017.

The Advisory Committee on Vaccines of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics (CAV- AEP) annually publishes the immunisation schedule which, in our opinion, is considered optimal for children resident in Spain, taking into account the evidence available on current vaccines. Pneumococcal and varicella immunisation in early childhood is already included in all funded vaccines present in the regional immunisation programmes. Furthermore, this committee establishes recommendations on vaccines not included in official calendars (non-funded immunisations), such as rotavirus, meningococcal B, and meningococcal ACWY. As regards funded immunisations, 2+1 strategy (2, 4, 11-12 months) with hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HB) and 13-valent pneumococcal vaccines is recommended. Administration of the 6-year booster dose with DTaP is recommended, as well as a poliomyelitis dose for children who had received the 2+1 scheme, with the Tdap vaccine for adolescents and pregnant women between 27 and 32 weeks gestation. The two-dose scheme should be used for MMR (12 months and 2-4 years) and varicella (15 months and 2-4 years). Coverage of human papillomavirus vaccination in girls aged 12 with a two-dose scheme (0, 6 months) should be improved. Information and recommendations for male adolescents about potential beneficial effects of the tetravalent HPV vaccine should also be provided. ACWY meningococcal vaccine is the optimal choice in adolescents. For recommended unfunded immunisations, the CAV-AEP recommends the administration of meningococcal B vaccine, due to the current availability in Spanish community pharmacies, with a 3+1 scheme. CAV-AEP requests the incorporation of this vaccine in the funded unified schedule. Vaccination against rotavirus is recommended in all infants.

[Vaccination against hepatitis B. Impact of vaccination programmes after 20 years of use in Spain. Is it time for a change?]. / Vacunación frente a la hepatitisB. Impacto de los programas de vacunación tras 20años de su utilización en España. ¿Es tiempo de cambios?

The highest incidence rate of hepatitis B (HB) in Spain is detected in adults between 20 and 54 years old, whereas the incidence in children under 1 year old is almost nil. The low prevalence of HB in children under 1 year is mainly due to the success of gestational screening strategies for the detection of HBsAg(+) in pregnant women, and vaccination campaigns during childhood. Currently, in Spain, the last dose of the HB included in the national childhood immunization program is administered at 6 months of age, although some studies show that delaying the age of the administration of the last dose of HB vaccine and increasing the time between doses, may improve immune memory by offering greater protection against this virus in the adulthood. In this article, the impact of HB vaccination in Spain is reviewed, and other potential vaccination strategies in our environment are discussed, such as extending the interval between doses, and administering the last dose in the second year of life, adapting the valid strategy in Spain to the current epidemiological context in order to reduce the prevalence of HB in adulthood.

[Whooping cough in Spain. Current epidemiology, prevention and control strategies. Recommendations by the Pertussis Working Group]. / Tos ferina en España. Situación epidemiológica y estrategias de prevención y control. Recomendaciones del Grupo de Trabajo de Tos ferina.

A large increase of pertussis incidence has been observed in recent years in countries with high vaccination coverage. Outbreaks of pertussis are increasingly being reported. The age presentation has a bipolar distribution: infants younger 6months that have not initiated or completed a vaccination schedule, and adolescents and adults, due to the lost of natural or vaccine immunity over time. These epidemiological changes justify the need to adopt new vaccination strategies in order to protect young infants and to reduce pertussis incidence in all age groups. Adolescents and adults immunization must be a priority. In the first group, strategy is easy to implement, and with a very low additional cost (to replace dT vaccine by dTap one). Adult vaccination may be more difficult to implement; dT vaccine decennial booster should be replaced by dTap. The immunization of household contacts of newborn infants (cocooning) is the strategy that has a most important impact on infant pertussis. Recently, pregnant women vaccination (after 20weeks of gestation) has been recommended in some countries as the most effective way to protect the newborn.

Evaluation of the safety and immunogenicity of pneumococcal seven-valent conjugate vaccine (Prevenar) administered in previously unvaccinated Spanish children aged 24 to 36 months.

This study evaluates the safety and immunogenicity of pneumococcal seven-valent conjugate vaccine (Prevenar) in 115 children, aged 2-3 years (24-36 months), who have not been previously vaccinated with Prevenar. SAFETY: As for local reactions, 40% of children reported erythema, 32.2% induration and 39.1% tenderness at the injection site. Regarding systemic reactions, fever > or 38 C was recorded in 7% of patients. Other commonly reported events were decreased appetite (24.3%), restlessness (20%), and fussiness (18.3%). IMMUNOGENICITY: After vaccination, more than 98% of the subjects achieved antibody levels of > or = 0.15 microg/mL for all seven serotypes and more than 95% achieved antibody levels > or = 0.50 microg/mL for all serotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Pneumococcal seven-valent conjugate vaccine (Prevenar) was safe, well tolerated and highly immunogenic when administered in previously unvaccinated children aged 14-36 months.