Impacto en la aplicación regular de las inmunizaciones en el lactante durante la pandemia covid-19. Una revisión sistemática.

Abstract

Introduction: Vaccines generate acquired immunological memory to face both viral and bacterial pathologies presented in the environment, that is why each country has a vaccine plan that is directed to the child right after birth to build up defenses that intervene in the management of preventable diseases, but it was affected due to Covid-19 pandemic. Objective: To systematize the available scientific evidence on the infant´s impact regarding the regular application of immunizations during the pandemic. Methodology: A systematic review study was carried out by using the prism method and the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria along with the use of virtual platforms. Findings: The infants´ vaccination schedule has been changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, reducing its totality by 25%. In Ecuador, 99% coverage was reached in BCG and pediatric HB vaccines; the country reached 73% coverage in the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, pentavalent, rotavirus, DPT, fIPV, MMR, yellow fever, and varicella (chickenpox) in the rest of the immunization schedule. Conclusion: The breakdown of the health systems was one of the main causes that affected the national vaccination schedule and its fulfillment of the objectives. That was overcome thanks to the implementation of the door-to-door sweep strategy recommended by the Ecuadorian public health system to cover the infants´ backlog on the immunization schedule.

Keywords: impact, application, immunization schedule, infant, covid-19