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The flu returns every autumn and, in many cases, is simply another respiratory infection. However, in vulnerable patients, it can take a different course. In older people, those with chronic conditions or immunocompromised patients, the flu can lead to hospitalisation, a flare-up of a pre-existing condition or a loss of independence.
That is the starting point for the Declaration of Barcelona on the prevention of influenza in the vulnerable patient, a document drawn up by experts in Vaccination, Cardiology, Geriatrics and Health Public following a meeting held at the Faculty Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Barcelona.
The statement sets out eight recommendations to improve the protection of those most at risk. These include prioritising vulnerable patients in vaccination strategies, swiftly incorporating available scientific evidence, strengthening the training of healthcare professionals, and making the most of every contact with the healthcare system to review vaccination status.
The proposal comes at the start of a new campaign in which the Department of Health is also emphasising the need to provide special protection for the groups most at risk. The recommendations for the 2026–2027 season set out the objective of reducing morbidity and mortality associated with influenza and COVID-19 and minimising the impact of these infections on healthcare and social care services.
Data from the previous season goes some way towards explaining this concern. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2025–2026 there were an estimated 1.4 million cases of flu in Spain, 46,000 hospitalisations, 2, ,000 ICU admissions and 3,400 deaths. It was a moderate-intensity epidemic, although more severe than the previous season due to the predominance of the influenza A virus.
The flu vaccination is once again recognised as a particularly important preventive measure for older people, those with cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, renal, hepatic or neurological conditions, cancer patients, immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women and residents of social and healthcare care homes.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Barcelona Declaration is that it shifts the focus to complications. In these patients, the main problem is what may follow the infection: respiratory decompensation, a cardiovascular event, hospitalisation or functional impairment from which they do not always make a full recovery.
Health has also set targets for coverage for the new campaign: to reach or exceed 75 per cent of people aged 60 years or over and pregnant women, and to reach 60% of of healthcare and social care staff and in the population of children aged 6 to 59 months.
The difficulty lies in reaching out effectively to those who need it most: we must remember, recommend, review medical records and make the most of consultations in primary care, cardiology, respiratory medicine, geriatrics, oncology, nursing, pharmacy in hospitals or care homes.
Sources
Gaceta Médica — Declaración de Barcelona: las recomendaciones de los expertos para mejorar la vacunación de la gripe en pacientes vulnerables:
https://gacetamedica.com/investigacion/declaracion-barcelona-recomendaciones-mejorar-vacunacion-gripe-pacientes-vulnerables/
Ministerio de Sanidad — Recomendaciones de vacunación frente a la gripe en España. Temporada 2026-2027:
https://www.sanidad.gob.es/areas/promocionPrevencion/vacunaciones/gripe_covid19/docs/recomendacionesVacunacionGripe_2026_2027.pdf