30% of flu vaccines have already been distributed to pharmacies across Greece, following the start of the new vaccination season on 2 October. A total of 3.64 million doses are expected to be imported into Greece this year, up from 3.5 million during the previous season.

“There is an adequate supply, with different types of flu vaccines available,” Manolis Katsarakis, secretary-general of the Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Association (PFS), told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA). He also noted that flu vaccination rates have been rising in recent years.

Specifically, pharmacies administered approximately 1.4 million doses during the 2023–2024 season, around 1.92 million in 2024–2025, and 2.04 million in 2025–2026.

Different types of trivalent flu vaccines are available this season:

TIVe: A conventional trivalent inactivated vaccine manufactured using chicken eggs.

TIVc: A trivalent inactivated vaccine manufactured using cell cultures. It can also be administered to people who have experienced a severe anaphylactic reaction to eggs, from the age of six months.

TIV-HD: A high-dose trivalent inactivated vaccine.

aTIV: A trivalent inactivated vaccine containing the MF59 adjuvant.

LAIV: A trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine, administered as a nasal spray to children and adolescents.

The enhanced TIV-HD and aTIV vaccines have higher immunogenicity and are recommended to prevent laboratory-confirmed influenza and hospitalisations in people aged 65 and over, as well as in people aged 18–64 who have undergone a solid organ transplant.

If an enhanced vaccine is unavailable for people aged 65 and over, vaccination should not be delayed and can be carried out using any available flu vaccine.

According to Mr Katsarakis, approximately 460,000 enhanced flu vaccine doses have been imported.

Conventional flu vaccines are provided free of charge at private pharmacies to both insured and uninsured people without a prescription, while enhanced vaccines require a medical prescription.

The nasal vaccine for children

The nasal vaccine is being made available for the second consecutive year, with approximately 200,000 doses supplied, an increase on last year.

The nasal vaccine contains a live attenuated influenza virus and is administered as a nasal spray to children aged two to under 18.

It should not be administered to children who:

• Have experienced recurrent episodes of wheezing in the past 12 months or have a history of bronchial asthma.
• Are immunocompromised.
• Are receiving long-term aspirin treatment.

Children and adolescents aged 2–18 who live with people with severe immunosuppression are advised to receive the inactivated injectable vaccine. However, if the live attenuated vaccine is administered, contact with the vulnerable person should be avoided for seven days.

As with all vaccines, the flu vaccine should not be administered to children with a known history of anaphylaxis to one of its ingredients.

The nasal vaccine is administered by paediatricians.

When is vaccination recommended?

In Greece, vaccination is recommended from mid-October to the end of November, as it takes approximately two weeks for an immune response to develop. However, if vaccination does not take place during this period, it can still be administered throughout the influenza season.

Influenza activity in Greece generally increases in January and peaks in February and March, although the onset of the epidemic wave cannot be predicted accurately.

For most people, flu vaccination consists of one dose per year. Exceptions include infants and children under nine who are being vaccinated for the first time or have previously received only one dose. They require two doses, administered at least 28 days apart. For the LAIV vaccine, children under nine who have not previously been vaccinated against seasonal influenza require a second dose at least four weeks later.

Who should be prioritised for vaccination?

Groups recommended to receive priority for flu vaccination include people aged 60 and over; infants and children aged six months to five years; adults and children over five with chronic conditions, immunosuppression, a history of transplantation, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney or liver disease, neurological or neuromuscular disorders; and people with morbid obesity.

Other groups at increased risk include pregnant women, women who have recently given birth and breastfeeding women, people who care for or live with vulnerable individuals, people living in closed or vulnerable settings, and workers in healthcare facilities, residential care homes for older people and other accommodation facilities.

Mr Katsarakis notes that, alongside flu vaccination, pharmacists also inform the public about other vaccines recommended according to age and risk factors, including vaccines against pneumococcal disease, shingles and COVID-19.