In 2022, less than 50 percent of the child public has been immunized so far
Brazil is still below the vaccination goal against measles. According to the Ministry of Health, 47.08 percent of children received the immunization in 2022, while the vaccination coverage target is 95 percent. The protection against measles is done with the triple viral vaccine, which also immunizes against mumps and rubella, and is part of the vaccination calendar. The immunizer is offered in health facilities throughout the country at any time of year.
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The triple viral is usually applied in two doses. The first, taken at one year of age, and the second at 15 months. The 2022 campaign began in January and runs through December of this year. The coverage in 2021 was low, only 50.1% of the target audience in Brazil received the second dose of the triple viral vaccine.
One of the consequences of the drop in vaccination is the advance of the disease. After having received the certification of measles-free country by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in 2016, Brazil began to register, in recent years, the advance of the disease throughout the national territory. The Epidemiological Bulletin of the Ministry of Health shows more than 40,000 cases and 40 deaths caused by measles since 2018, with more than half in children under 5 years old.
Fiocruz
The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) released a note this year calling attention to the importance of vaccination against the disease. Fiocruz explains that measles is an acute infectious disease, very contagious and serious, especially in children under 5 years old, malnourished adults or people with some immunity problem, such as transplant patients, people living with HIV, or who are undergoing chemotherapy, and pregnant women.
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Fiocruz points out that, regardless of this, measles affects individuals of all ages and not necessarily with chronic diseases or some immunity problem.
Ministry of Health
To Agência Brasil, the Ministry of Health said in a statement that through the National Immunization Program (PNI), it has been developing and intensifying strategies necessary to meet the challenges and reverse the low vaccination coverage, in partnership with states and municipalities.
“The Ministry of Health encourages the population to be vaccinated against immunopreventable diseases, and clarifies the benefits and safety of vaccines, through its official communication channels,” says the folder. Detailed data on vaccination coverage is available on the Internet.
WHO and Unicef
On Friday (15), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released data showing that the decline in childhood vaccination has not occurred only in Brazil. Around the world, after two years of pandemic, was recorded the largest continuous drop in childhood vaccinations in the last 30 years.
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According to the organizations, even by territorial size and population size, Brazil is among the ten countries in the world with the largest number of children with delayed vaccination. Considering only the measles vaccine, the country is the 8th with the largest number of children with delayed vaccination.
