Rotavirus and whooping cough vaccines included in Andalucía region's 2025 vaccination programme

The Junta de Andlaucía's regional health ministry presented the new vaccination schedule for 2025 at the IV Andavac Congress, held on Thursday 6 February in Granada. Reports focused on the inclusion of the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine in the adolescent age group and the inclusion of the rotavirus vaccine in infants.

The opening ceremony of the congress was attended by Áurea Murillo, general secretary for public health, research and innovation; Manuel Férnandez, general director for public health and pharmaceutical organisations; David Moreno, director of the vaccination strategic plan in Andalucía; and Diego A.Vargas, managing director of the Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública (Andalusian school of public health).

David Moreno presented the new features of the vaccination and immunisation schedule for 2025, which, as he pointed out, has come to include the term 'immunisation' because "Andalucía carries out immunisation against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for all children under 6 months of age" - a measure which proved to be very successful last winter, while this winter it has already brought a reduction of 80-90% in hospitalisations due to bronchiolitis.

Among the most important innovations, which will be applied starting 1 March, Moreno highlighted the incorporation of the whooping cough vaccine in adolescents, the extension of vaccination against pneumococcal disease in adults, which has been increased by three years (from 60 to 76), and the addition of a new cohort for vaccination against herpes zoster (shingles), now for people born in 1960, in addition to those born in 1959 who started vaccination last year.

Another important addition this year will be vaccination procedures against rotavirus in infants - the most frequent cause of gastroenteritis in infancy, which will begin to be offered free of charge during the second half of the year, on a date yet to be determined.

It has been decided that the Covid-19 vaccine, which has been in place since 2021, will also be included in the schedule, as it continues to be recommended on an annual basis in high-risk groups, such as those over 60 years old, pregnant women, people with chronic conditions, and health and sanitary professionals, as part of the national strategy.