Last year, 152,521 were without immunization – a drop of more than 90,000 compared to 243,008 the previous year
In 2022, of the 2,561,922 children born alive in Brazil, 243,008 (9.5%) were without the first dose of the vaccine that protects against polio, also known as infantile paralysis. Last year, of the 2,423,597 (6.3%) children born alive, 152,521 children were without the dose – a drop of more than 90,000 in the total number of children without immunization. The data are from Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund).
The head of Health at Unicef Brazil, Luciana Phebo, said that the country has experienced drops in vaccination coverage of the main immunizers on the children’s calendar since 2015 and that the scenario has worsened amid the covid-19 pandemic. “After years of worsening, Brazil began to resume vaccination”he stated.
The Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, declared that Brazil records “a turning point” in the scenario of vaccination coverage. “A turn towards achieving the necessary vaccination coverage to protect our children, our society, our adolescents”he said, specifically mentioning the HPV vaccination which, this year, began to be carried out in a single dose for children and adolescents aged 9 to 14 years.
Nísia highlighted that 13 of the 16 main child doses included in the PNI (National Immunization Program) showed improvements in vaccination coverage in 2023 when compared to the previous year. Among the vaccines mentioned by the minister are: polio, pentavalent, rotavirus, hepatitis A, yellow fever, meningococcal C (1st dose and booster), pneumococcal 10 (1st dose and booster), triple viral (1st and 2nd doses) and triple booster bacterial.
“It was a turnaround with a lot of struggle. We should celebrate, but also point out the paths ahead”assessed Nísia. “This general increase in coverage highlights this progress very well, which, as I said, we celebrate, but with the awareness that we have a long way to go”he stated.
Americas
In the midst of World Immunization Week and Vaccination Week in the Americas, celebrated from April 24 to 30, the representative of PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) in Brazil, Socorro Gross, highlighted the importance of the polio vaccination schedule . “The child not having this right is something very significant”, he said. In Brazil, starting this year, the oral polio vaccine is being gradually replaced by the inactivated and injectable version of the vaccine.
The injectable form is applied at 2, 4 and 6 months of age, according to the National Vaccination Calendar. After the transition period, which began in the 1st half of 2024, children who complete the first 3 doses of the vaccine will only receive a booster with the injectable vaccine at 15 months.
The booster dose, previously administered at 4 years of age, will no longer be necessary. The update considered epidemiological criteria, evidence related to the vaccine and international recommendations on the topic.
For Socorro, 3 public health interventions are considered essential by PAHO to guarantee quality of life for all children: access to drinking water, breastfeeding and vaccination. “The Americas region has suffered a lot over the last few years. We lost a lot in vaccination coverage.”
With information from Brazil Agency.
