43% of preschool students in the Balearic Islands have already been vaccinated against the flu at school

Palm43.4 percent of children in the second cycle of preschool in the Balearic Islands have already received the flu vaccine at their schools, as reported this Monday by the Ministries of Health and Culture, Education and Universities at a press conference. Specifically, almost 12,000 preschool students—out of a target population of 27,200—have already been vaccinated in 341 schools across the archipelago. The ministries highlighted that expanding the campaign to all educational centers has allowed them to increase the number of children protected tenfold compared to last year's pilot program, in which 1,217 students were vaccinated. This was explained by the Minister of Health, Manuela García, and the Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, during a visit to the CEIP Aina Moll i Marquès school. They added that, of the 341 participating centers, 53 percent have vaccination rates above 40 percent, with 103 schools above 50 percent, and 77 with rates between 40 and 49 percent.

Menorca leads

By island, Menorca leads the list with the highest vaccination rate among children in the second cycle of preschool, with 53.5% coverage of a target population of 1,950 students distributed across 31 schools (28 of which participated in the campaign). In fact, eight of the ten schools with the highest vaccination rates in the Balearic Islands are in Menorca, and all are located in Mahón. Rates are similar in Mallorca and Ibiza: in Mallorca, the rate reaches 42.5% of a total of 21,558 students in 274 schools (268 participated), while in Ibiza it is 42.7% of 3,509 children in 43 schools (41 participating). In Formentera, the vaccination rate is 49.1% of a target population of 232 students from the island's four schools, all of which participated in the campaign. The Balearic Ministry of Health has noted that these figures could increase in the coming weeks, as a second round of vaccinations is planned for schools with lower coverage. School vaccinations have been extended this year to all schools in the Balearic Islands following the results of last year's pilot program, which was carried out in 24 schools and resulted in the vaccination of 1,217 students, representing 43.2% of the target population (2,816). This figure was already more than double the coverage achieved in the 2023-2024 campaign (18.5%), when children were not vaccinated directly in schools. This has increased the number of children in the second cycle of preschool protected against the flu virus, a key measure for reducing transmission and preventing severe cases, as children under five are more likely to suffer complications and require hospitalization. The Catalan Health Service (Salut) has reminded the public that, although the mortality rate from influenza in children under 15 is very low, 95% of children who die from this disease are under five years old. This age group has the second highest rate of hospital and ICU admissions after the elderly. To carry out the campaign, the Health Service has organized 13 teams of primary care professionals, each consisting of two nurses, a nursing assistant, administrative staff, and drivers. Children receive a single dose of the vaccine, and in the case of students in the fourth, fifth, and sixth years of preschool, an intranasal vaccine has been administered.