Health expands flu vaccination to children up to 11 years old

PalmaThe 2026-2027 flu vaccination campaign will begin on Monday, October 5th, in schools, nursing homes, and facilities for people with disabilities, and among patients receiving home care. This year, the main new feature is that childhood vaccination is being extended to children up to 11 years old, while for the first time, protection against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) will also be offered to certain vulnerable adults. From October 19th, furthermore, the flu vaccination will open to the entire population of the Balearic Islands, regardless of whether or not they are part of high-risk groups. Interested people will be able to book an appointment through Espai Salut, by calling 971 220 000, or in person at their health center.

The Minister of Health, Manuela García, presented this Wednesday the 2026-2027 flu vaccination campaign, accompanied by the Director General of Public Health, Elena Esteban, and the Deputy Director of Healthcare at the Health Service, Concha Zaforteza. Health authorities want to maintain the increase in vaccination coverage of recent years. Last season, 219,096 people were vaccinated in the Balearic Islands, 31,302 more than the previous one. Coverage among the target population went from 30.9% to 34.3%. Since the 2023-2024 campaign, when it was 22.6%, it has increased by 11.7 percentage points.

Vaccination in educational centers will begin on Monday. Health Service teams will visit the 351 centers on the Islands –273 in Mallorca, 31 in Menorca, 43 in Ibiza and 4 in Formentera– to offer the vaccine to children aged 3 to 5 in the second cycle of early childhood education, always with the consent of the families. In total, it is expected to reach about 27,000 students.

Last school year, 44.8% of children in this stage were vaccinated, a figure almost ten times higher than that of the pilot program launched in 2024. As a novelty, this year the teams will also offer the vaccine to school staff who wish to receive it, including teachers as well as administrative and cleaning staff. The Vacmovil unit is made up of 25 nurses, 13 nursing assistant technicians, 9 administrative staff, and 7 drivers. The unit, which will also travel to care homes, has a cost of 397,911 euros and its deployment is expected to end between late November and early December. Starting October 19, childhood vaccination will be open to all children from 6 months to 11 years old, including students in the second cycle of early childhood education who have not been vaccinated at school.

Protection against RSV

The campaign also incorporates immunization against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) for certain vulnerable adults. Starting October 5th, it will be offered to people aged 60 or over who live in nursing homes or social-health centers. This protection can also be received, from the age of 18, by people who have received a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, patients undergoing CAR-T therapy, and people who have received a solid organ transplant, especially of the lung, in addition to those on a waiting list.

In the case of infants, immunization against RSV will begin this Wednesday, October 1st, in public hospitals and private clinics. Babies born from this date onwards will receive the monoclonal antibody before hospital discharge. The program will continue until March 31, 2027. Health centers will begin contacting infants born between April 1st and September 30th on Monday to also offer them the immunization. The Health Department plans to administer 10,000 doses of nirsevimab to infants and 5,500 to vulnerable adults.

According to the Department's data, this immunization has reduced hospitalizations for bronchiolitis in infants by more than 80%, both on the ward and in intensive care units, since it began to be administered three seasons ago. For this campaign, the Health Department has purchased 289,090 doses of the flu vaccine and 15,500 monoclonal antibodies against RSV.

From October 19th, at-risk groups will also be able to get vaccinated, such as pregnant women and women who have recently given birth and were not vaccinated during pregnancy, people with certain chronic diseases, the immunocompromised, smokers, and healthcare and social-health personnel. The campaign also includes caregivers and those living with at-risk people, essential service workers, and professionals directly exposed to birds and pigs. The Government has chosen the slogan 'We make ourselves strong against the flu' this year and will carry out an advertising campaign in the media, on television, and on bus shelters to encourage vaccination and prevent complications, hospital admissions, and greater pressure on health services.