The National Vaccine Plan: focus on meningitis and vaccinations in pregnancy
Approved on January 19, 2017 and published in the Official Gazette on February 18, the 2017-2019 National Vaccine Prevention Plan was created by the Ministry of Health, in agreement with the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, in order to guarantee the Italian population , without exception, the benefits deriving from vaccination, intended both as an instrument of individual protection and collective prevention. The new National Vaccines Plan represents a guarantee of equity of access to services of equal quality throughout the national territory and for all citizens, who from now on will be able to benefit from an active and free vaccination offer among the most advanced in the world.
We also remind you that starting from the school year 2017-18 it is mandatory that children from 0 to 16 years old are vaccinated for access to nursery, kindergarten, elementary, middle and two-year high school years. Having received the 10 vaccines mandatory (poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, pertussis, haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, rubella, mumps and chicken pox, the latter only for those born in 2017) is a necessary requirement for access to nursery and maternal (i unvaccinated children are not admitted to attendance), while in compulsory school pupils are admitted even if not vaccinated, but non-compliance is punished with a penalty of between 100 and 500 euros. The administration of compulsory vaccines is always free.
Objectives and news of the National Vaccine Plan 2017-2019
The 2017-2019 National Vaccine Plan harmonises vaccination strategies, which previously were the exclusive competence of the Regions, through an "updated and uniform vaccine offer that overcomes territorial differences, guaranteeing all Italian citizens regardless of place of residence, income and from the socio-cultural level.
Among the priorities of the new Plan are the maintenance of the Polio-free status, the pursuit of the objectives of the national plan for the elimination of measles and congenital rubella, the guarantee of the active and free offer of vaccinations, access to services and availability of vaccines, the provision of actions for population groups that are difficult to reach and with low vaccination coverage, and the development of an institutional communication plan on vaccinations.
The new vaccinations of the National Vaccine Plan 2017-2019
It is the focal point of the new National Vaccine Plan 2017-2019: the introduction of new vaccinations, free and ticket-free. A necessary choice to renew the public vaccination offer that stopped many years ago.
The new vaccines are:
- Anti-meningococcus B;
- Anti-rotavirus;
- Antivaricella;
- Anti-HPV to 11-year-old males (extension);
- Tetravalent antimeningococcal ACWY135 in adolescents (booster);
- Anti-polio in adolescents (recall);
- Anti-pneumococcus and anti-Zoster in 65-year-olds.
Obviously, all the old vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, Hib, pertussis, pneumococcus, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcus C in new born, HPV in 11-year-old girls and influenza in subjects over the age of 65 are confirmed.
But not only that: new vaccines are expected shortly, which will further increase the offer addressed to the population.
Vaccinations against meningitis
Premise: currently in Italy, despite some too alarming newspaper headlines, there is "no" epidemic of meningitis. According to the data of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, the cases that have occurred in Italy in the last two years reflect the trend of the last five years: the prevalence of meningitis is therefore low and has remained constant for five years now.
However, it is better never to let your guard down and find out as much as possible about this very serious disease but which, fortunately, vaccines can keep at bay. We know, for example, that among the bacterial agents that cause meningitis the most feared is Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), and that there are several serogroups of meningococcus, of which the most common are A, B, C, Y, W135 and X The most aggressive of all is meningococcus of serogroup C, which together with B is the most frequent in Italy and Europe. But who affects meningitis? As regards serogroup C, the groups most at risk are children under 5 years of age, adolescents and young adults, while serogroup B attacks above all children under one year of age. This is why you must definitely get vaccinated against meningitis.
As we read in the previous paragraph, the 2017-2019 National Vaccine Plan updated the list of vaccinations against meningitis. Today there are therefore three types of meningococcal vaccine:
- the conjugate vaccine against meningococcus serogroup C (MenC) :, which protects against serogroup C;
- The tetravalent conjugate vaccine, which protects against serogroups A, C, W and Y;
- The serogroup B meningococcal vaccine, which protects against serogroup B.
Meningococcal vaccines are highly recommended and offered free of charge to those specific population groups deemed to be at greatest risk of infection. In particular, the vaccination schedule in force provides for: vaccination against meningococcus B in children during the first year of life (three doses at the third, fourth and sixth month of life and a booster at the thirteenth month), anti-meningococcal vaccination C in children who have reached one year of age (one dose from the thirteenth to the fifteenth month), and vaccination with tetravalent conjugate vaccine during adolescence (both as a booster for those who have already been vaccinated against meningococcus C and for those not has never been vaccinated).
The vaccine is also strongly recommended for people of all ages suffering from certain diseases (thalassemia, diabetes, severe chronic liver disease, congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies and asplenia), as well as in the presence of particular conditions (infants who attend nursery schools, children who live in boarding schools or sleeping in dormitories, travelers who have to go to places where meningitis is widespread, such as some areas of Africa, etc.).
Finally, remember that the duration of vaccination protection depends on the type of vaccine and the age at which it is administered. According to current knowledge, the new National Vaccines Plan has included a booster dose for meningococcus C to be administered in the period of adolescence in how much is an age at greater risk, albeit relatively low, compared to the rest of the population.
Vaccinations for pregnant women
During the nine months of the placenta, protecting him from the disease. Warning: the pertussis vaccine does not give immunity for life but must be repeated every ten years or at each pregnancy. Furthermore, having already contracted the disease does not exclude a second infection.
Rubella can also turn out to be a very serious disease during the fateful nine months. Virtually harmless for adults, except for rare complications, it can become very dangerous if contracted by the mother in the first trimester after conception: the earlier the infection, the greater the risk of embryo-fetal damage. Rubella in these cases can be responsible for serious consequences such as before getting pregnant. At the same time, if a woman is not immune to rubella or chickenpox (or both) during pregnancy, it is important that she be vaccinated before discharge from the maternity ward, in the immediate postnatal period. Protection lasts a lifetime.
