UAE rolls out free flu vaccine for school students — here's where to get it

Dubai: UAE health authorities are rolling out free seasonal flu vaccines for school students, after officially adding them to the country's list of high-risk groups for the first time, Gulf News can reveal.

The move was confirmed after the launch of the national flu awareness campaign for 2026-2027 by the Ministry of Health and Prevention last week. It follows the widening of the priority list from five groups to seven, also covering pilgrims travelling for Hajj and Umrah alongside students.

Dr Shamsa Majid Lootah, Director of the Public Health Department at Emirates Health Services (EHS), told Gulf News that students carry outsized importance for community protection.

"School students play a big part in our communities. By protecting them, we are protecting everyone else too – the elderly at home, the wider household," she said.

EHS, the federal authority responsible for public healthcare in the five Northern Emirates – Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah – is vaccinating students free of charge at school this year.

It is extending the same free cover to teachers and other school staff.  "This is for the entire school community. This is under EHS from this year," Dr Shamsa confirmed.

She added that the scheme also extends to university students through campuses that run their own clinics.

She noted that private school communities are being included too, and that authorities are "not waiting for the insurance to come and cover" the cost.

Dr Shamsa pointed out that the free vaccine is not restricted by nationality or residency status. "It's for citizens, for residents, for everyone," Dr Shamsa said.

For students wary of needles, a nasal spray vaccine is also in the pipeline through EHS, Dr Shamsa confirmed that nasal spray vaccine will also be given free of charge once available, particularly for students and other high-risk groups.

In the capital, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has already brought in the nasal vaccine for this season.

Dr Mahra Al Hosani, Director of Surveillance and Outbreak Response at the department, said: "The nasal flu vaccine for this season is available in Abu Dhabi. It is not given over the counter because it's specified for certain age groups, and there should be an assessment before taking this vaccine. This is available in selected healthcare facilities across Abu Dhabi, and this is free of cost for these eligible groups."

The flu vaccine in Abu Dhabi is free for all Thiqa health insurance holders, as well as for non-Thiqa holders considered at high risk of infection.

According to Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), free vaccination extends to adults above 50, children under five, students aged five to 18, people of determination, pregnant women, smokers, and Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. It also covers residents with a body mass index of 40 or above, and those with chronic conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic liver disease, kidney failure and chronic lung disease such as asthma.

The Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre is additionally supplying free flu vaccines to private establishments across the emirate.

In Dubai, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is taking a slightly different route.

Dr Hana M Saleh Salama, Senior Specialist Public Health Registrar at DHA's Communicable Diseases Prevention Department, said the authority is negotiating with insurers to allow the vaccine to be administered directly inside schools rather than requiring students to visit a clinic.

"Insurers don't mind covering the service at healthcare facility, but they don't want the service moved to schools. This is what we're working on," she said.

Highlighting that the benefits far outweigh the logistics, she said: "It will decrease absence days for students, for staff, for the medical team – the infection spread will be less. Whatever is gained from the vaccine will be much more than the cost of distributing the service here and there."

Any school-level rollout will be communicated through Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), since DHA cannot approach schools directly

The nasal vaccine is already available in Dubai and DHA is looking at ways to expand its use among children, Dr Hana said.

However, it cannot be bought over the counter. "Parents have to take the child to a facility, and the physician there has to prescribe it," she said, describing the spray as a far less painful option than an injection for younger children.

Officials stressed that, while the vaccine remains voluntary for students, they are actively encouraging uptake amid concerns over classroom absenteeism and the risk of students carrying the virus home to vulnerable relatives.

Dr Hana said. "This is voluntary. We are encouraging it, not making it mandatory," she said, urging people to consider vulnerable relatives at home – newborns, elderly parents or pregnant family members – when deciding whether to get vaccinated.