Last Thursday (23), Marcelo Queiroga, Minister of Health, declared that for children aged 5 to 11 years to be vaccinated, a medical prescription and a “term of informed consent” will be required. The government also carried out a public consultation to find out what the population thinks about immunizing this public.
And Alexandre Naime Barbosa, infectious disease and head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Unesp, is among many doctors who have taken a stand against the minister’s measures. “It is absurd to carry out a public consultation and a medical request to vaccinate children”, he says in an interview with CNN.
He also says that specialist doctors should be interviewed to understand the effectiveness of the vaccine, “and this has already been done by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency).” the organ approved the vaccination for this age group last Thursday (16).
Barbosa also declares that prescription is absurd, since there is a national immunization schedule against measles, rubella and mumps, for example, that this measure is not necessary. “The Ministry is putting up various absurdities to hinder the vaccination and please a part of the electorate”, argues the expert.
He further explains that there are adverse symptoms. “The vaccine can cause pain in the area, fatigue and mild flu. But this is an immune system response to create antibodies.”
About cases of myocarditis and pericarditis, he says it can happen, “but with a very low frequency and a very mild severity”. The infectologist points out that about 7.1 million doses have been applied to children, and the incidence was in the order of 1 case for every 100,000 immunizers. “And, in all events, all were benign, that is, the child did not have a fatal outcome.”
Pfizer responded to CNN, in a new manifestation, which expects to deliver vaccines to children as of January 2022 in Brazil. So far, 25 countries have started vaccinating children between 5 and 11 years old, such as Chile, Germany, Denmark and Portugal.
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Reference: CNN Brasil
