- Those of universal HPV, influenza, and meningitis B for infants and herpes zoster are now covered.
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| A child receives a vaccine. |
The new 2023 vaccine schedule: who, how and what to protect yourself from
The vaccination schedule for children and adults is renewed for next year: the universal human papillomavirus (HPV), influenza and meningitis B vaccines for infants, and herpes zoster join the list of antidotes paid for by the System National Health.
Next Monday, the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System will give definitive light on the new Common Lifetime Vaccination Calendar, which incorporates the latest agreements that the Public Health Commission has been taking in recent months on this matter.
Some communities already anticipated this final approval and have been giving some of the vaccines for some time, such as the HPV vaccine for 12-year-old boys from Galicia, Murcia, the Valencian Community, and Catalonia, which also financed the meningococcal B vaccine, like Castilla y León, the Canary Islands, and Andalusia, when others did not.
In this way, there are already eleven serums - apart from that of Covid-19 - that are part of the common calendar for the entire national territory.
The previous ones of poliomyelitis (VPI); diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (DTPa, dTpa, Td); diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (DTPa, dTpa, Td); measles, rubella and mumps (triple viral, TV); hepatitis B (HB) and chickenpox (VZV), which remain as they were, the indications for HPV and influenza are expanded and those for meningococcus B and herpes zoster are incorporated.
Universal HPV
For those that have not yet done so, the communities have until the end of 2024 to include the human papillomavirus vaccine in their children's strategy for 12-year-old boys who, like girls, will receive two doses separated by six months.
That is the general indication, although in Asturias it will be administered to 10-year-olds because that is the age that was also set for girls.
In addition to adolescents, this vaccine is also given to previously unvaccinated or partially vaccinated women. If they have started vaccination from the age of 15, they receive three doses with a 0, 1-2, and 6-month schedule (depending on the vaccine used).
Flu
Until now, the flu was reserved for pregnant women in any trimester of pregnancy, those over 65 years of age, and people who live with risk groups.
With the new schedule, babies 6 months and up to 5 years old will get a jab in the flu season. The communities here also have a period of time until the end of 2024 to do so and they will be able to start with the younger cohorts.
Meningococcus B
Until now, the childhood immunization schedule had three free vaccines for meningococcal disease (meningococcus C and MenACWY for serotypes A, C, W, and Y).
From now on they will also have the meningococcus B vaccine, which will be given to children aged 2, 4, and 12 months in all of Spain at most before the end of 2024, as pediatric associations have been advising for some time.
Together with them, the risk groups not previously vaccinated will continue to receive it, who are also advised to receive a booster dose a year after completing the regimen and, subsequently, another every five years.
Herpes zoster
The great novelty of the adult calendar must also be implemented throughout the territory before the end of 2024.
Its inoculation is recommended for the 65-year-old population (born in 1958), to whom 2 separate doses will be administered at a minimum interval of 8 weeks.
In addition, it will be possible to progressively capture cohorts between 66 and 80 years old, starting with the population that turns 80 years old.
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