Uruguay reopens vaccine appointments amid meningitis outbreak

Uruguay's Ministry of Public Health (MSP) is set to reopen appointment scheduling for free MenFive vaccines against meningitis on Monday, July 29, 2026. The ministry announced that 9,000 vaccination slots will be made available, a significant increase from the initial batch of appointments.

Laura Llambí, the Director General of Health, stated that the MSP anticipates receiving a shipment of around 300,000 MenFive vaccines early next week. The arrival was expedited through negotiations with the Pan American Health Organization (OPS). Llambí confirmed that families will find appointment times available throughout the week and in subsequent weeks for both adolescents aged 11-15 and children aged 9-10.

She emphasized the importance of bringing the child's or adolescent's national identity document to the vaccination center to verify eligibility for the free MenFive dose, which protects against serogroups A, C, W, X, and Y. The initial appointment schedule, opened on Monday morning, was quickly filled, with approximately 4,000 adolescents booking appointments within a short period. Llambí described this as a very positive response from the public.

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What we can assure is that next Monday the schedule will be opened again and families will find appointments during that week, and in the following weeks, both for the adolescents aged 11 to 15 years, who were eligible to schedule this week and some of them were left without an appointment, as well as for the children aged 9 and 10 whom we had announced were eligible from Monday, August 3.

With the expected vaccine supply, the MSP aims to cover all children and adolescents up to 18 years old. Vaccinations for children under one year old are already covered through a program initiated in July of the previous year. Llambí noted that achieving full coverage will take several weeks due to logistical considerations, including dose distribution, operating hours, and the expansion of vaccination sites. Specific dates for opening appointments for children aged two to eight and adolescents aged 16 to 18 have not yet been announced.

In addition to the electronic scheduling system, the MSP is collaborating with the National Public Education Administration (ANEP) to offer MenFive vaccinations in schools. This initiative comes as Uruguay has been experiencing a rise in meningococcal infections, reporting 23 confirmed cases and seven fatalities in recent weeks.

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We value it as a very good response from the population.