The city of Rio de Janeiro resumes, this Friday (10) the flu vaccination – which had been suspended last Saturday (4) due to lack of doses. The Ministry of Health had to relocate doses from other states, as the stock of the paste is depleted.
The resumption of vaccination takes place while the state recognizes that there is an ongoing influenza epidemic. “This year there was less adherence to the flu vaccination campaign. At this moment, when some activities that involve greater agglomeration and disuse of masks are becoming more flexible, this drop in vaccine coverage of the influenza virus has led to the appearance of cases that led to this epidemic”, explained Daniel Villela, researcher at Fiocruz, in an interview with CNN.
The governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro (PL), warned that, despite the low number of admissions, the situation is serious at the outpatient level.
A new InfoGripe Bulletin, released this Thursday (9) by Fiocruz, warns of a consolidation of the growth trend in cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SRAG) in various regions of the country.
Daniel Villela explained that other capitals and large cities may have a similar picture of low adherence to influenza vaccination.
“They are all respiratory viruses, so protection with the use of masks is very important to prevent transmission. If they have low adherence to the use of masks and vaccination, it is possible that [a epidemia] spread to other places”, said the researcher.
“It is important that states, even if they have not registered cases yet, maintain active surveillance. It’s good to look for a more preventive action”, he added.
The prevention measures against the common flu are the same used to prevent the infection by Covid-19:
- use of masks
- hand hygiene with soap and water
- use of alcohol gel
- keep the rooms ventilated
- do not touch eyes and mouth constantly
- avoid crowds and closed places
- adhere to the flu vaccination
Reference: CNN Brasil
