Mallorca flu jab teams head to 273 schools for children

Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, is set to receive flu jab teams at 273 schools: children aged three to five are being offered vaccination, including at CEIP Joan Mas i Verd in Montuïri on Thursday, 8 October. The campaign began on 5 October and is taking place in schools across the islands for a second year. Balearic Islands health minister Manuela García visited the Montuïri school on Thursday.

Flu jabs in schools

The Balearic Islands Health Department plans to send teams to 351 schools across the islands and offer the vaccine to around 27,000 children. Its mobile operation, called Vacmovil, has 25 nurses, 13 nursing assistants, nine administrative staff and seven drivers.

School employees can also choose to have a jab this year, whether they work in teaching, administration or cleaning.

Why the campaign focuses on young children

Last year, 44.8% of children in the target age group were vaccinated. The Health Department wants to reach at least that level again.

It says children of this age often catch flu and can sometimes become seriously ill. Deaths from flu are very rare among under-15s, but 95% of children who die from it are under five. Children can also pass the virus to vulnerable people around them.

Topics: Education · Health · Politics · Montuïri

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com