Yellow fever: Sesau warns municipalities to intensify vaccination

With the confirmation of an imported case of yellow fever coming from Guyana and the record of deaths of monkeys in Roraima, the Department of Health, through the General Coordination of Health Surveillance, issued a circular letter on Friday, 3, to the 15 municipalities in the State advising to intensify vaccination actions against the disease. Immunizers are available at health centers.

The guidance is that the immunization strategy begins this Monday, 6th, and continues until May 15th, carried out by city halls through municipal health departments with the aim of preventing the spread of the disease in the State.

Doses of the yellow fever vaccine should be administered to children aged nine months to under five years of age, with a booster dose at four years of age, and also to the population aged five to 59 years of age, in a single dose.

According to the Secretary of Health, Cecilia Lorenzon, the need to intensify vaccination arose after the notification of a serious case of yellow fever in a patient from Guyana, who was admitted to the HGR (Hospital Geral de Roraima Rubens de Souza Bento) and treated by the unit’s medical team.

Furthermore, the death of monkeys in the Alto Alegre region increased concern about the circulation of the virus in Roraima.

“We are warning municipalities to intensify vaccination against yellow fever as vaccination is the most effective measure against the disease, which is potentially lethal, but completely preventable through immunization”, explained the Secretary of Health, pointing out that it is essential that everyone those who are not vaccinated should seek a health center during the vaccination strategy period, from this Monday, 6th, until May 15th.

Where to get vaccinated?

Vaccination will be available free of charge in all basic units and health centers of the Unified Health System. It is important that parents of children under five years of age look for a health center to apply the vaccine.

In addition to urban areas, the campaign will also cover the Dseis (Special Indigenous Health Districts) East and Yanomami, under the coordination of the Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health, with the aim of protecting the most vulnerable and remote communities.

Cecilia Lorenzon reiterates the importance of all people within the recommended age group receiving the vaccine, especially those who have never been vaccinated.

“The yellow fever virus is transmitted mainly by mosquitoes and can result in serious cases and death. With this initiative, Sesau hopes to not only protect the population, but also prevent the spread of yellow fever in the state and neighboring regions”, he emphasized.

Understand what led to the alert

The Department of Health reported a case of Sylvester Yellow Fever in 2024. It was a 17-year-old male patient, resident of Guyana, infected in a region close to Lethem, a city that borders Brazil (Bonfim).

According to the General Coordination of Health Surveillance of Roraima, the patient presented the first symptoms of the disease while still in Guyana, where he sought medical care at a hospital in Lethem. Due to the seriousness of the case, the young man was transferred to the General Hospital of Roraima Rubens de Souza Bento, in Boa Vista. He was hospitalized for 19 days, progressing well, and was medically discharged on March 21, 2024.

The last case of a patient infected with yellow fever in Roraima was reported in August 2023, in a 37-year-old man, who ended up dying.

Currently, according to the Yellow Fever and Dengue Control Center, there is no record of patient deaths from yellow fever in Roraima. However, there are records of three cases of epizootics (death in non-human primates) under investigation, with biological material being analyzed at the Instituto Evandro Chagas do Pará.

“State authorities are intensifying surveillance actions and constantly monitoring epidemic cases. We are guiding municipalities on the importance of intensifying vaccination against yellow fever, issuing information to the population and training professionals in the state’s fifteen municipalities. We also held, from April 24th to 26th, 2024, an Integrated Surveillance workshop for yellow fever with the Ministry of Health and the participation of fifteen municipalities, focusing on yellow fever surveillance, including Epidemiological and Entomological surveillance”, highlighted the general coordinator of CGVS, Valdirene Oliveira.

Leandro Freitas