The health ministry says 70,000 doses of flu vaccine will arrive for the open market in November, replying to a query from the BTA news agency.

This report follows our earlier story on the start of nasal flu vaccination for children on 5 October.

Under the national flu vaccination programme for children, which runs from 2026 to 2030, 135,138 free doses are set aside each year. The programme started for the first time in May this year, and parents can choose whether to take part. That covers vaccination for up to 17% of children aged 6 months to 7 years.

Another 10,000 children with chronic illnesses, aged 6 months to 17, also qualify for a free vaccine.

The National Centre of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases recorded Bulgaria's first flu virus of the 2026-2027 season on 4 October — the A(H3N2) strain.

The maker of the nasal vaccine says it is a three-strain shot containing the "Missouri," "Darwin" and "Tokyo" strains, also known as A/Missouri (H1N1), A/Darwin (H3N2) and B/Tokyo.