High-Dose Influenza Vaccine to Reduce Hospitalizations.

Background: Superior protection against laboratory-confirmed influenza has been proved for high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine, as compared with the standard dose, among adults 65 years of age or older. However, data on the relative effectiveness of the high-dose vaccine against severe clinical outcomes, including hospitalizations, are limited.

Methods: We conducted a pragmatic, registry-based, open-label, randomized, active-controlled trial to evaluate the relative effectiveness of high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine, as compared with the standard dose, against severe clinical outcomes among community-dwelling adults 65 to 79 years of age.

Pediatric research in Spain: Challenges and opportunities.

Introduction: Pediatric research is key for improving the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of childhood diseases. In Spain, however, this vital area of research remains underfunded and underrepresented compared to both domestic research in the adult population and pediatric research in other countries.

Objective: To identify the main barriers to pediatric research in Spain and propose strategies to strengthen its development and integration into the public healthcare system.

Respiratory syncytial virus-related lower respiratory tract infection hospitalizations in infants receiving nirsevimab in Galicia (Spain): the NIRSE-GAL study.

Unlabelled: As part of the NIRSEGAL study ( https://www.nirsegal.es/en ), we present the clinical characteristics and course of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-related low respiratory tract infection (LRTI) hospitalizations in infants eligible for nirsevimab administration during the 2023-2024 season.

DNA methylation signatures of severe RSV infection in infants: evidence from non-invasive saliva samples.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) poses significant morbidity and mortality risks in childhood, particularly for previously healthy infants admitted to hospitals lacking predisposing risk factors for severe disease. This study aimed to investigate the role of the host epigenome in RSV infection severity using non-invasive buccal swabs from sixteen hospitalized infants admitted to the hospital for RSV infection. Eight patients had severe symptoms, and eight had mild to moderate symptoms.

Procalcitonin use in febrile children attending European emergency departments: a prospective multicenter study.

Background: Studies on procalcitonin (PCT) for identifying sepsis were published as early as 1993 and since then, PCT has been the topic of over 8,500 studies. Several studies show PCT to be superior to CRP in differentiating invasive infections such as sepsis from viral infections, especially early in the disease course. However, its actual use in clinical practice is poorly documented.

A 5-transcript signature for discriminating viral and bacterial etiology in pediatric pneumonia.

Pneumonia stands as the primary cause of death among children under five, yet current diagnosis methods often result in inadequate or unnecessary treatments. Our research seeks to address this gap by identifying host transcriptomic biomarkers in the blood of children with definitive viral and bacterial pneumonia. We performed RNA sequencing on 192 prospectively collected whole blood samples, including 38 controls and 154 pneumonia cases, uncovering a 5-transcript signature (genes , , , , and ) that effectively distinguishes bacterial from viral pneumonia (area under the curve (AUC): 0.

Immunisation schedule of the Pediatric Spanish Association: 2024 recommendations.

The AEP 2025 Vaccination and Immunization Schedule recommended for children, adolescents and pregnant women residing in Spain features the following novelties: Due to the increase in measles cases and outbreaks in recent years, we recommend advancing the second dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to 2 years of age. As a consequence of the above, since many autonomous communities (ACs) use the quadrivalent vaccine for the second dose of MMR and varicella vaccines, we recommend, for all ACs, advancing the second dose of varicella vaccine to 2 years of age. Due to the very significant increase in cases of pertussis since late 2023 and especially in 2024, we recommend advancing the dose of Tdap given in adolescence to 10-12 years of age.

A diagnostic host-specific transcriptome response for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia to guide pediatric patient treatment.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae causes atypical pneumonia in children and young adults. Its lack of a cell wall makes it resistant to beta-lactams, which are the first-line treatment for typical pneumonia. Current diagnostic tests are time-consuming and have low specificity, leading clinicians to administer empirical antibiotics.

New Vaccines for Chronic Respiratory Patients.

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) are responsible for more than four million deaths worldwide and have become especially prevalent in developed countries. Although the current therapies help manage daily symptoms and improve patients' quality of life, there is a major need to prevent exacerbations triggered mainly by respiratory infections. Therefore, CRD patients are a prime target for vaccination against infectious agents.

Vaccination against seasonal flu in childhood and adolescence. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Immunizations of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (CAV-AEP) for the 2024-2025 season.

The flu is a constant threat that can sometimes cause severe forms of disease. The highest incidence rates by age group occur in children under 15 years of age, especially in those under 5 years, in whom the rate of hospitalization is also similar to the population aged 65 years and older. In addition, children are the main transmitters of the infection.

COVID-19 InfoVaccines: A WHO-supported educational project to promote COVID-19 vaccination information among professionals and the general population.

COVID-19 vaccine uptake varied across countries, in part due to vaccine hesitancy fueled by a lack of trustworthy information. To help health workers provide evidence-based answers to common questions about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination, and thereby, assist individuals´ decisions on vaccine acceptance, COVID-19 InfoVaccines, a joint WHO-EU project, was launched in February 2021 to support COVID-19 vaccine rollout in 6 Eastern European countries. COVID-19 InfoVaccines was made available in seven languages and shared on social media networks.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Maternal Immunization with RSVpreF Vaccine for the Prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Among Infants in Spain.

Introduction: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in children under one year of age. In high-income countries, RSV infections cause a significant overload of care every winter, imposing a significant burden to the healthcare system, which has made the development of prevention strategies a major global health priority. In this context, a new bivalent RSV prefusion F protein-based vaccine (RSVpreF) has recently been approved.

Vaccination in pregnancy. Consensus document of the CAV-AEP and the SEGO.

During pregnancy, physiological changes in the immune response make pregnant women more susceptible to serious infection, increasing the risk for the mother as well as the foetus, newborn and infant. All women should be correctly and fully vaccinated as they enter their reproductive years, especially against diseases such as tetanus, hepatitis B, measles, rubella and varicella. In addition to the recommended vaccines, in risk situations, inactivated vaccines could be administered to women who were not correctly vaccinated before, while attenuated vaccines are contraindicated.

at the rise not only in China: rapid increase of cases also in Spain.

After the use of facemasks, other isolation measures enacted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were lifted, respiratory pathogens, such as RSV, reappeared, but until the November 2023 WHO alert for China, had virtually disappeared. After observing a similar reappearance in our hospital, a retrospective analysis of the number of positive tests. Between 2018 and December 2023, 1619 PCR tests were ordered and 43 (2.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccination Recommendations for Adults Aged 60 Years and Older: The NeumoExperts Prevention Group Position Paper.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory tract infections in adults, particularly older adults and those with underlying medical conditions. Vaccination has emerged as a potential key strategy to prevent RSV-related morbidity and mortality. This Neumoexperts Prevention (NEP) Group scientific paper aims to provide an evidence-based positioning and RSV vaccination recommendations for adult patients.

Immunisation schedule of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics: 2024 recommendations.

The AEP Immunization Calendar for 2024, with its immunization recommendations for pregnant women, children and adolescents residing in Spain, marks the 25th edition since the first one was introduced in 1995, being annual since 2003, as a vaccination calendar, and since 2023 as immunization schedule due to the inclusion of a monoclonal antibody for the prevention of RSV disease. Novelties for this year include the following: The rest of the recommendations from the previous calendar remain unchanged.