Seven out of ten children, aged 6 months to 5 years, have not yet been vaccinated against the flu in Belo Horizonte. The low coverage, with just over a month left until winter, worries the authorities, who will reinforce actions. Starting today, students at Municipal Early Childhood Education Schools (Emeis) in the North and Center-South regions will begin receiving the dose. Immunization will only be administered with parental authorization.
Last week, the measure began to be adopted in institutions in the Northwest and Venda Nova regions. In an attempt to guarantee the immunization of the entire public, regardless of age, professionals who work in schools can also receive the vaccine.
“This is an essential intersectoral action to expand our vaccination coverage. We continue to make every effort to raise awareness among the population about the importance of receiving the flu vaccine. We have already expanded the application points and the vaccine is being offered in shopping malls, universities, drugstores and partner clinics. Now, we are taking the vaccines to strategic spaces precisely to ensure that our most vulnerable audiences can get the dose”, said the municipal health secretary, Danilo Borges Matias.
The Secretary of Education of BH, Bruno Barral, highlighted the importance of the campaign to raise awareness among the entire school community. “I reinforce the request that parents authorize the vaccination of their children and come to schools to get vaccinated too. Furthermore, we want to guarantee the vaccine for all staff working in schools,” he said.
Parents must sign an authorization form already distributed by the institutions’ teams. In this document, it is also necessary to inform whether the child has a contraindication to any immunization agent and whether he or she is using medication. Health professionals are responsible for verifying the authorization form duly completed and signed.
Everyone who receives the dose must preferably present an identification document with a photo or birth certificate, CPF and vaccination card.
More vaccination points
The flu vaccine remains available in all 152 health centers in the city, in more than 25 partner drugstores of the Municipal Health Department and 10 extra stations.
Among them, Faculdades Promove (Rua Sarzedo, 31, in the Prado neighborhood, West region). There, the service is offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 9am to 4pm.
The address of all locations, as well as the opening hours of the units, can be checked on the City Hall website.
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