The Public Health Commission has approved the recommendation of expand vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) to 12-year-old boys. Until now, the National Health System financed this drug for two years in the female population over 12 years. The Ministry of Health has wanted to put an end to this situation of inequality by including HPV vaccination in the vaccination calendar also in minor males. For the time being, the scheduled date for its inclusion is calendar 2023. There are currently three HPV vaccines: Cervarix, Gardasil and Gardasil 9. Until now, vaccination has been prioritized in girls under 14 years of age, but experts justified that a quarter of cancers correspond to men. Immunizing both sexes better protects the population as a whole. According to the latest data from National Statistics Institute (INE), in Spain there are 528,276 children between the ages of 11 and 12 who could be beneficiaries of this vaccine. On the other hand, the The National Health System has also approved financing the flu vaccine for children between six months and five years. In this way, starting with the next campaign, the 2023-24 season, the flu vaccine will be included in the vaccination schedule for children between 6 and 59 months.
experts from the Spanish Society of Outpatient Pediatrics and Primary Care have pointed out on several occasions that the vaccination strategy had to be changed. “The flu is clearly a pediatric disease, with incidence rates much higher than in adults,” the experts point out. It is important to point out that some autonomous communities have already included HPV vaccinations in children and flu vaccinations in minors. As of the 2023-24 season, several communities will be incorporating these novelties into their vaccination calendars.