The head of the Portuguese Medical Association, Carlos Cortes, emphasized on Saturday that the responsibility for regulating vaccine availability lies with the Health Ministry. He criticized the ministry for not adequately ensuring the supply of flu vaccines for those outside the eligible groups.

“The Order clearly supports vaccination as a preventive measure to avoid illnesses and infections typical of this season. We acknowledge the challenges, but it is, of course, the Health Ministry’s responsibility to resolve them, along with the Directorate-General of Health (DGS),” Carlos Cortes stated to the press.

Addressing the issue again, he reiterated that “it’s the Health Ministry’s duty to manage the vaccine supply, and evidently, it has not been done suitably.”

This comes after the National Association of Pharmacies (ANF) disclosed on Friday the difficulties in providing flu vaccinations to those outside the eligible groups due to a vaccine shortage in the private sector.

“There are constraints in acquiring vaccines from distributors for individuals intending to vaccinate upon a medical prescription outside the groups entitled to free vaccination,” the ANF informed the Lusa agency.

The association, led by Ema Paulino, highlighted that there is no vaccine shortage for those within eligible groups who can be vaccinated under the National Health Service’s (SNS) seasonal campaign.

“Currently, the information we have indicates that laboratories have confirmed no more vaccines available for the private sector,” noted the ANF.

According to the latest data from the Directorate-General of Health, which set a goal to vaccinate 2.5 million people against the flu, approximately 2.3 million vaccines have been administered since the seasonal campaign began in September. The vaccination coverage for those over 60 years of age stands at 60.7%, with higher rates among those aged 85 and above (83.1%).

The vaccination campaign runs until April 30, 2026, in SNS health units and 2,500 community pharmacies.

Portugal Entered “Epidemic” Flu Phase

Portugal has entered an epidemic phase of flu with rising trends, marked by an increase in confirmed cases, including intensive care admissions, the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) warned yesterday.

“Data on flu activity for this 2025-26 season showed that in week 48, starting November 24, flu activity is epidemic,” Raquel Guiomar, head of the National Reference Laboratory for Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses at INSA, told the Lusa agency.

In recent weeks, there has been “an increase in lab-confirmed flu cases,” reported by the Sentinel Doctors Network, according to the expert.

“We have been detecting both subtypes of the type A flu virus, AH1N1 and AH3N2,” with a “slight predominance” of AH1N1 currently.

According to the researcher, a new subgroup of the AH3N2 subtype, designated K, has been identified in Portugal, representing about 45% of characterized AH3N2 viruses so far.

The epidemic emerged “three to four weeks earlier” than usual in Portugal, closely following the 2023-24 pattern. “However, we have not yet reached peak activity. We are currently experiencing an epidemic flu activity with an increasing trend,” she emphasized.

Concerning other respiratory viruses, SARS-CoV-2 circulation is presently low, while respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) maintains low activity, though it might rise in the coming weeks.

The Pharmaceutical Order has urged the Directorate-General of Health and Infarmed to implement measures ensuring that individuals with vaccination recommendations, even those not in risk groups, have adequate access to flu vaccines.

Lusa | 14:50 – 05/12/2025