The Basque health minister apologized and said the expired vaccine posed no risk to the 253 affected patients, most of them children.
Published January 29, 2026
Health authorities in Spain’s Basque region have launched an investigation after an expired hexavalent pediatric vaccine was given to 253 patients, mostly infants.
Osakideza, the Basque public health service responsible for providing medical care throughout the region, began contacting affected families this week.
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The agency said in a statement Wednesday that the issue was discovered on Jan. 15.
Basque Minister of Health Alberto Martínez said that after discussions with the National Medicines Agency AEMPS, the Basque Vaccine Advisory Committee and vaccine manufacturers, it was concluded that the expired doses pose no health risks or adverse effects to recipients.
But Mr Martinez said the blunder was “serious” and apologized to the families affected.
“Given the seriousness of what happened, we have launched an internal investigation to clarify and identify the links in our supply chain where the error may have occurred, and to take corrective actions to prevent this from happening again,” Martinez said in a statement.
The hexavalent pediatric vaccine protects against six diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type B.
In Spain’s local government system, the Basque Country has autonomy over health policy and services through its own Ministry of Health and Osakideza.
Spain’s central government maintains national regulatory oversight over medicines and broad health standards through AEMPS, but day-to-day implementation and response to local incidents remains under Basque control.
