SSA Launches Vaccination Campaign for Winter 2024-2025

On Oct. 15, 2024, the Ministry of Health (SSA) will launch the National Vaccination Campaign against Influenza and COVID-19, which will run until March. 28, 2025, targeting the 2024-2025 winter season. This initiative aims to protect vulnerable populations from severe complications, hospitalizations, and mortality associated with these respiratory illnesses.

Vaccines represent one of the most effective and economic public health measures available, according to UNICEF. In light of this, the SSA's campaign plans to distribute more than 36 million doses of the influenza vaccine and approximately 23 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, as reported by SSA. The targeted populations include individuals at higher risk due to age or health conditions.?

For the influenza vaccine, the primary recipients will be children aged six months to four years, individuals aged 60 and over, pregnant women at any stage of gestation, healthcare workers, and those aged five to 59 with specific comorbidities. Influenza is easily transmitted from person to person through coughs and sneezes. The most effective way to prevent the illness is through vaccination, according to the WHO .?

For the COVID-19 vaccine, individuals aged five to 59 with similar comorbidities, as well as pregnant women who are at least six months since past their last dose, will be eligible for a dose regardless of their vaccination status. This group also includes postpartum people, individuals aged 60 and over, and healthcare personnel.

Between early 2021 and May 2022, COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 610,000 to 2.61 million deaths in the Caribbean and Latin America, according to a study published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases. These findings support other global studies, highlighting the critical role of vaccines in reducing mortality from SARS-CoV-2 infections.

In conjunction with these efforts, the SSA’s campaign will also include pneumococcal vaccinations for children under one year and adults aged 60 and over, as part of a broader strategy to recover vaccination rates across the population.

Individuals eligible for influenza and COVID-19 vaccines can access these services at various vaccination centers, including the nearest health units of the Social Security Institute (IMSS), IMSS-Bienestar, the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE), Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) facilities, and local health services.