Mexico began the National Winter Vaccination Campaign 2025–2026, one of the most ambitious health strategies in the country in the last decade. The objective: apply more than 50.5 million doses against seasonal influenza, COVID-19 and pneumococcus between October 2025 and April 2026, with priority in children under five years of age, older adults, pregnant women, health personnel and people with comorbidities.

The program, coordinated by the National Center for Child and Adolescent Health (CENSIA), aims to reduce hospital pressure and prevent serious complications during the winter season, consolidating simultaneous vaccination as an essential public policy.

With minimum coverage of 95% and national digital monitoring, the campaign seeks to strengthen collective immunity against respiratory viruses in a context of post-pandemic epidemiological transition.

A coordinated effort between all health institutions

During the official launch, the Secretary of Health, David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz, announced that the winter vaccination plan includes 35.4 million doses against influenza, 10.9 million against COVID-19 and 4.2 million against pneumococcus.
All institutions of the National Health System IMSS, ISSSTE, PEMEX, SEDENA, SEMAR and IMSS-Bienestar will participate in the execution, under the technical direction of CENSIA.

The State Vaccination Councils (COEVAS) must ensure 70% progress before December 31 and 100% by closing in April 2026, prioritizing coverage of vulnerable populations in rural and urban areas.

The campaign seeks to avoid missed vaccination opportunities, guaranteeing that each eligible person who goes to a medical unit receives the corresponding vaccine.

According to the official document, success will depend on integrated logistics that combines cold chain storage, timely distribution and active community participation.

Influenza: updated strains and goal of 95% coverage

The seasonal influenza vaccine used this season is quadrivalent and inactivated, and has been updated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for the northern hemisphere 2025–2026.

This new formulation offers expanded protection against the type A and B viruses that most frequently circulate during the cold months, covering the most recent variants responsible for the flu outbreaks recorded in North America and Europe.

The application is carried out intramuscularly, in an annual dose of 0.5 mL, aimed mainly at children from 6 to 59 months, older adults, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, COPD or obesity.

According to CENSIA, timely vaccination can reduce hospitalizations for serious conditions by up to 70% and significantly reduce mortality in the most vulnerable groups of the population.

In addition, health authorities recommend maintaining complementary preventive measures, such as ventilation of closed spaces, frequent hand washing, responsible use of face masks in crowded places and voluntary isolation in the event of respiratory symptoms, actions that continue to be key to protecting community health.

COVID-19: monovalent biologics adapted to new variants

For the second consecutive year, Mexico will include vaccination against COVID-19 within its national winter campaign, with the purpose of maintaining population protection against the new variants of the virus that continue to circulate worldwide.

This year, the Spikevax LP.8.1 vaccines from Moderna and Comirnaty LP.8.1 from Pfizer/BioNTech, both monovalent, will be applied. That is, designed to act against a specific variant—and developed with messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.

These vaccines have been updated to offer protection against the LP.8.1 variant, currently predominant in America and Europe, and have a proven safety profile in millions of doses administered around the world.

The single dose will be administered at least six months after the last booster, with 0.25 mL for minors and between 0.3 and 0.5 mL for adults, by intramuscular injection.

The priority groups are people over 60 years of age, pregnant women, health personnel and patients with chronic diseases that increase the risk of respiratory or immunological complications.

According to the CENSIA technical document, national genomic surveillance, in coordination with GISAID and Nextstrain, has identified the presence of subvariants of the JN.1 lineage, confirming the need to maintain periodic boosters to maintain an effective immune response.

With this update, Mexico consolidates itself as one of the first countries in Latin America to implement new generation vaccines, aligned with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), thus strengthening the national respiratory immunization strategy for the 2025–2026 winter.

Pneumococcus: the new 20-valent vaccine extends protection

As part of the 2025–2026 winter campaign, Mexico incorporates the 20-valent pneumococcal vaccine, designed to offer greater protection against serious respiratory infections such as pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis.

This biological progressively replaces the 13-valent vaccine and includes seven additional serotypes, which expand the defense against resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

The application will be in a single dose of 0.5 mL intramuscularly, aimed at older adults, immunocompromised people and patients with chronic diseases.

According to PAHO, pneumococcus continues to be one of the main causes of childhood mortality in Latin America, responsible for the majority of cases of pneumonia and meningitis in children under five years of age.

Studies from the CDC and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) confirm that the 20-valent vaccine offers more than 90% efficacy against invasive strains and a high safety profile.

Its implementation strengthens the national respiratory prevention strategy and is complemented by vaccination against influenza and COVID-19, under the endorsement of the WHO and the COFEPRIS.

Simultaneous vaccination and national digital monitoring

Technical Guideline 2025–2026 authorizes the simultaneous application of the three vaccines, as long as a minimum distance of 2.5 to 5 cm is maintained between the puncture sites.
This measure seeks to optimize resources, reduce visits to health centers and increase operational efficiency in vaccination programs.

Each federal entity must deploy mobile brigades, semi-fixed positions and sessions in hospitals, schools and community centers, guaranteeing full coverage for risk groups.
The progress will be recorded through the SISCENSIA platform, which will allow real-time monitoring, traceability and transparency in the application of doses and in the reports of events supposedly attributable to vaccination (ESAVI).

The Ministry of Health will strengthen epidemiological surveillance and impact evaluation, measuring the reduction in infection, hospitalization and respiratory mortality rates during the months of greatest viral circulation.

A health challenge and a historic opportunity

The National Winter Vaccination Campaign 2025–2026 represents a milestone for Mexican public health, not only due to the magnitude of the operation, but also due to its comprehensive focus on prevention, equity and health technology.

Beyond the numbers, this campaign seeks to reaffirm citizen confidence in vaccination and strengthen the culture of prevention, at a key moment for the consolidation of the health system.

If the goals are met, Mexico could reduce hospitalizations for respiratory diseases by up to 40% and avoid thousands of preventable deaths.

With a model of simultaneous immunization, data digitization and international scientific support, the country is consolidating itself as a regional reference in integrated seasonal vaccination strategies.

Find here the complete official document of the Ministry of Health: Guidelines of the National Winter Vaccination Campaign 2025–2026