Finally the new national vaccine plan has arrived. After the “rebound” between the Regions and the Ministry regarding the financial coverage that had postponed its approval, in the August 2 session of the State-Regions Conference. the new 2023-25 Vaccination Plan has been given the go-ahead. The first after the Covid era, the first to have a separate vaccination calendar from the plan, which can be updated from year to year based on the epidemiological situation and scientific evidence. And thus more open to innovation and more flexible, as commented by the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci, underlining how this novelty makes it “possible to introduce and evaluate any innovations more quickly”.
Covid, the recommendations for the autumn of infectious disease specialists and hygienists by Anna Lisa Bonfranceschi 06 July 2023
Agreement reached
Approval of the plan came after that, they said Regions, an agreement was reached regarding the financial issue at the heart of the standoff. In fact, they announced that “The Regions have given the green light to the new Plan with the resources available under current legislation together with the request to start monitoring expenditure on the adequacy of the resources available and to evaluate the possibility of finding additional resources in the event of any higher costs incurred by the Regions. It was also requested that all Regions and Autonomous Provinces must have access to the distribution of the financing of any higher vaccination costs, notwithstanding the legislative provisions which establish for the special Autonomies the regional and provincial competition for current health financing”.
Pediatric vaccinations, insufficient coverage in 2021 by Letizia Gabaglio 02 August 2023
Optimize vaccination coverage
ll piano it is in continuity with the previous one and does not currently foresee the introduction of new vaccines but aims to expand and optimize those already recommended and offered free of charge. “The Plan – explains Carlo Signorelli, professor of Hygiene at the San Raffaele University of Life and Health and president of Nitag, the independent group of experts that expresses technical opinions to the ministry on the matter – arises from the observation that if we have good coverage in children and almost acceptable for the flu shot in the elderly, in adolescents we must do more to raise coverage against HPV and ACWY meningococcus. Just as coverage for herpes zoster and pneumococcus in frail and over 65s must be improved almost everywhere”.
To do it the new plan it aims to expand the points for administering vaccines to include pharmacies, hospitals, hubs and nursing homes and an intense vaccination promotion activity involving both specialists and general practitioners, to intercept chronic and frail patients in a more widespread manner. All this pursuing the objective of making vaccination strategies more homogeneous throughout the country.
The objectives
The objectives of the plan are therefore to maintain the polio-free status by maintaining coverage of at least 95% of children with the hexavalent (which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, hepatitis B and haemophilus influenzae B). Central is then to achieve and maintain the elimination of measles and rubella through trivalent (measles-mumps-rubella). And again, as explained by Signorelli, strengthen the prevention of cervical cancer by increasing the protection of adolescents against the human papilloma virus (Hpv) and coverage for pediatric vaccinations such as rotavirus, chickenpox and antimeningococcus B.
The comment of general practitioners
“We warmly welcome the approval of the National Vaccine Prevention Plan, a decision we have been waiting for a long time – commented Claudio Cricelli, President of SIMG, Italian Society of General Medicine and Primary Care – This document contains a series of important measures, starting from the importance attributed to prevention”.
Already looking to next autumn, the experts hope that the new plan will also help relaunch the next vaccination campaigns: “We hope for a trend reversal compared to last season, when coverage rates were dramatic both in the over 65s and in the categories at risk – added Alessandro Rossi, Head of the SIMG President’s Office – We hope that the Plan will also give new impetus to the anti-flu campaign. Finally, we hope that the vaccination for Covid remains a public health vaccination and that from next autumn there will be a recovery of the active offer for the categories at risk, because even today, albeit with less harmful consequences than in the past, every day Covid causes still many victims among the fragile subjects”.