Free school vaccinations: Government relies on equal opportunities for children!

Free school vaccinations: Government relies on equal opportunities for children!

On April 28, 2025, the beginning of the European Vaccination Week marked the importance of free school vaccinations in the framework of which the Federal Government emphasizes. Minister of Health Korinna Schumann as well as the State Secretary Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig and Minister of Education Christoph Return emphasize the relevance of vaccinations for all children, regardless of income or place of residence. The aim of this initiative is to improve the health standard of all children and at the same time compensate for social differences. Vaccinations are considered a great success of modern medicine and are considered a necessary measure for equal opportunities.

The current school vaccination programs are a central component to facilitate access to vaccinations. These vaccinations are available both free of charge and close to home. Parents are asked to take advantage of protective offers in the coming autumn and winter. The currently free vaccinations for school children include:

• measles-mumps-from
• Diphtherie-Tetanus-Polio-Keuch cough
• hepatitis b
• meningococcal acwy
• Humane Papillomaviren (HPV)
• Covid-19
• influenza

Latest developments in RSV protection

An important goal of the health initiative is protection against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Passive immunization against RSV has been part of the free children's vaccination program since December 2024. By April 2025, around 36,000 cans of this vaccination were administered. In order to be optimally prepared for the 2025/26 winter season, delivery agreements for at least 60,000 cans were made. Austria is one of the countries with comprehensive RSV prevention in Europe and is in international comparison at eye level with countries such as France, Spain and Finland.

The safety of the vaccines is guaranteed by modern medical guidelines. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the currently recommended RSV vaccines are usually well tolerated. Occasionally occurring vaccination reactions such as headache and body aches as well as pain at the vaccination site are usually mild and sound after a few days. Severe side effects are rare, and in very rare cases, a Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been observed, which usually decreases, but can leave residual symptoms in some people.

vaccination plans in the EU

National health policy, including vaccination plans, is designed differently in every EU and EEA country. These differences are based on factors such as disease load and the structure of the health systems. Nevertheless, a high level of protection in the EU was achieved by mandatory and non -mandatory vaccinations. The vaccination plans include extensive protective measures against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and diphtheria.

The Federal Government and the Ministry of Health ask all parents to actively use the advantages of school vaccinations and the new RSV protection offers to ensure the health of their children and the community. It is essential to consider access to vaccinations as a common goal and thus to protect the health of children in Austria.

For detailed information about national vaccination plans and current recommendations, visit the pages of the Federal Health Ministry href = "https://vaccination-info.europa.eu/de/ueber-impfstoffen/zeitpunkt-der-Impflung/impfplaene-der-euim-ewr"> ECDC-Vaccination info portal .