Amid expectations for the start of vaccination against Covid-19 in children and adolescents, Brazil adds up to 2,625 deaths of people between zero and 19 years old since the confirmation of the first case of the disease in the country until the 6th of December of this year. An average of four deaths per day, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
The numbers made the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics launch a manifesto this Friday (24) for the urgent need to immunize the age group between 5 and 11 years old, approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) on the last 16th.
“Contrary to what the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, recently stated, the number of hospitalizations and deaths caused by Covid-19 in the pediatric population, in general, including the group of children aged 5-11, is not at levels acceptable. Unfortunately, mortality and mortality rates in children in Brazil are among the highest in the world”, points out the manifesto.
Data from the Ministry of Health show that, in 2020, the country had 373 deaths of people under one year of age from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome caused by Covid-19, 189 in the range between 1 and 5 years and 641 people aged between 6 and 19 years , adding up to 1,203.
This year, the numbers are even higher: 418 babies under one year old died, 208 children between 1 and 5 years old, in addition to 796 people between 6 and 19 years old, a total of 1,422.
“Given this scenario, the vaccine against Covid-19 presents itself as a real alternative for the control and prevention of these disease outcomes, which is within reach of those responsible for public health policies in our country.
The vaccine was associated with high efficacy in the prevention of Covid-19, not only in controlled clinical studies, but also in real-world experiences, with effectiveness against the disease and hospitalizations demonstrated in adolescents”, defends the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics in the manifesto .
The organization also highlights that the country has already registered more than 1,400 cases of Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome, a disease that appears after infection by Covid-19, with at least another 85 deaths of children and adolescents.
While the consultation opened by the federal government on pediatric vaccination against coronavirus is taking place, the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, declared that the application of the dose may be accompanied by the requirement of a medical prescription and informed consent.
In an interview with CNN, doctor Renato Kfouri, representative of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations and the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics, assessed the measure as a disservice to the population and pointed out that it could increase social inequality.
“We cannot force disadvantaged families to have medical appointments that can take a long time, while giving the opportunity to more privileged families, as they usually have more access to doctors,” said Kfouri.
Several managers, such as Mayor Eduardo Paes, have already stated that they will not adhere to the requirement. Faced with Queiroga’s speech, Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, from the Federal Supreme Court, gave the federal government a period of five days to explain the need for medical prescription.
Reference: CNN Brasil
