The Community Will Introduce Flu Vaccination in Schools Next Academic Year

The President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, announced this Wednesday that "next academic year we will initiate a school flu vaccination campaign, which will be conducted in schools with preschool and special education students in the Valencian Community."

The initiative aims to immunize approximately 72,000 students. Furthermore, it will "facilitate intranasal vaccination without the need for trips to health centers, thus promoting family reconciliation."

The beneficiaries of this campaign are children born in 2020 and 2021, enrolled in public and subsidized preschool education centers in the Valencian Community. Additionally, all students from special education centers, which cater to minors and young people up to 22 years old, are included. The vaccine will be administered to those whose families express their willingness to participate.

The head of the Consell explained that the goal is "to provide families with protection for minors against the flu and curb contagion among them, as well as prevent them from transmitting the virus to vulnerable individuals who are at higher risk of complications."

This initiative will begin on October 1st and is the first school flu vaccination program launched by the Generalitat. The coordination will be carried out between the Departments of Education and Health. Health professionals' teams will be able to schedule sessions with schools within their facilities during the 2024-2025 flu campaign.

It is worth noting that a pilot test for school flu vaccination was successfully conducted last season in Elda.

The vaccine administered to preschool children is intranasal. A small dose is applied in each nostril. This type of immunization was first introduced in the last campaign, which began in October 2023. It avoids needle pricks for young children and neutralizes the virus at its entry point.

Primarily, children under 5 years old are those who most frequently contract and fall ill with the flu every year. Some cases are not mild and require hospitalization.

Similarly, children can transmit the flu to others, who may suffer severe illness with a risk of significant complications. Therefore, protecting children from the flu prevents contagion among vulnerable groups and helps curb transmission, sources from the Consell emphasize.