Health expands vaccination against meningitis and HPV; find out who can get vaccinated

The Ministry of Health expanded the target audience of the vaccination against meningitis and HPV. Starting in September, the meningococcal ACWY vaccine will be offered temporarily to unvaccinated adolescents aged 11 to 14 years. Boys from 9 to 14 years old can be vaccinated against HPV permanently.

The meningitis vaccine is available on the National Vaccination Calendar for 11- and 12-year-olds. Until June 2023, 13- and 14-year-olds will also be able to get vaccinated. According to the ministry, the expansion aims to reduce the number of people with the bacteria in the nasopharynx region.

The Ministry of Health states that the ACWY meningococcal vaccine (conjugated) is distributed monthly to the states. The indication is to take a dose or booster, according to the vaccination situation. According to the folder, the age group with the highest risk of illness are children under one year of age. However, adolescents and young adults are primarily responsible for maintaining the circulation of the disease.

Immune response

Research indicates that meningococcal vaccines demonstrate a more robust immune response in adolescents, with persistence of protective antibodies for a prolonged period. Scientific evidence served as the basis for inclusion by the National Immunization Program (PNI) in the National Immunization Calendar administration of booster doses with meningococcal conjugate vaccines in adolescence .

In the case of HPV, the expansion included boys aged 9 and 10 years . With that, the Vaccination is now for anyone 9 to 14 years of age , regardless of sex. THE HPV vaccination in adolescents is used by more than 100 countries. Studies on the impact of the strategy point to positive results in the prevention and reduction of diseases caused by the virus, such as cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anal region, penis and oropharynx.

The vaccine that protects against human papillomavirus (HPV) was gradually incorporated into the Unified Health System (SUS) as of 2014. It is estimated that Brazil has 9 to 10 million people infected with HPV and that, every year, 700 thousand new cases of the infection are registered. About 105 million people have HPV 16 or 18 worldwide, according to the ministry.