The children's calendar includes the hepatitis A vaccine after an increase in cases

The pediatric vaccination schedule for 2026 has this year incorporated systemic vaccination against hepatitis A with a single-dose schedule at 12-15 months of age and a catch-up dose for the rest of unvaccinated children and adolescents, following an increase in cases over the last two years. According to the coordinator of the Vaccine and Immunization Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (CAV-AEP), Francisco Álvarez, "Spain, until now, was a country with low endemicity of hepatitis A, so vaccination was recommended only for risk groups, but the increase in cases in most communities has forced us to strengthen surveillance and enhance prevention." To date, only Catalonia, Ceuta, and Melilla included hepatitis A vaccination in the childhood schedule: "Catalonia as part of a pilot plan started in Barcelona, which later expanded to the entire community, and Ceuta and Melilla due to their geographical location," according to the CAV-AEP. In 2026, this recommendation will be extended to all autonomous communities.

Another update to this year's schedule is the recommendation of the flu vaccine for all children and adolescents between 6 months and 17 years old, with the intranasal vaccine being preferred from the age of two. Regarding the flu, experts also suggest strengthening coverage in cohabitants and caregivers of at-risk patients or those living with children under 6 months, pregnant women, and healthcare professionals.

This year, pediatricians have once again emphasized the importance of ensuring equity in vaccination across all communities, something that, according to the CAV-AEP, "is currently not being achieved." Therefore, they have insisted on moving towards a unified vaccination and immunization schedule that ensures equity both in disease prevention and in access to vaccination protection throughout the territory.

Additionally, the schedule consolidates recommendations from previous years. Among them is the recommendation to include the rotavirus vaccine systemically in all Spanish infants and to maintain the vaccination schedule against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and poliomyelitis with hexavalent vaccines, that is, an injection that protects against six diseases and also includes hepatitis B.

The pediatric schedule continues to emphasize pneumococcal vaccination, the recommendation of the meningococcal B vaccine as systematic in infants, and the renewal of the vaccination schedule against meningococci A, C, W, and Y, in addition to the MMR and chickenpox vaccines. It also continues the vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in risk groups, the human papillomavirus vaccine in both sexes at 10-12 years old, and the use of the monoclonal antibody against RSV (nirsevimab) in infants under 6 months and up to two years in risk groups.