Spain Rushes Vaccines to Ceuta After Migrant Crisis Strains Health System

Spain's Ministry of Health has called an urgent meeting with regional health chiefs for Monday, August 24, to coordinate sending vaccines to the North African enclave of Ceuta. The move comes after a massive migrant influx pushed local health services to the brink. The online meeting, confirmed by the ministry, will activate a solidarity mechanism to share vaccine supplies. The most requested vaccines include the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), chickenpox, polio, tetanus, and diphtheria. The decision follows a border crisis in late July, during which around 70,000 people entered the city. Health officials have reported a sharp rise in illnesses linked to overcrowding and poor conditions. Data from the National Institute of Health Management (Ingesa) shows 5,801 medical consultations related to the crisis between July 31 and August 14. The Red Cross added more than 2,500 more treatments at a local beach. Health workers have also flagged 18 children with positive tuberculosis tests, plus two confirmed cases. Consultations for gastroenteritis, scabies, and impetigo are also up. Next week, a ministry delegation led by Secretary of State for Health Javier Padilla will visit Ceuta. The team will assess the strain on the local university hospital and primary care centers. The exact dates have not yet been announced. The visit comes just one week after Health Minister Mónica García traveled to Ceuta. She insisted there is "no health collapse," a claim that contradicts warnings from local doctors and unions. They say staff are exhausted and that the system was already fragile before the crisis. The political tension is also high. García criticized the local government for not being "agile enough" in housing migrants and labeled warnings about health costs as "xenophobia." In response, Ceuta's president, Juan Jesús Vivas, said "nobody can give Ceuta lessons in solidarity" and accused her of dodging responsibility.