Queiroga: We have the challenge of not allowing polio to be reintroduced in Brazil

The Ministry of Health performs, this Saturday (24), an act of immunization against poliomyelitis and multivaccination, in Brasília. The event is part of the celebration of 32 years of the Unified Health System (SUS) and has the participation of the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga.

Since August, the national polio vaccination campaign has sought to increase vaccination coverage against the disease in the country. The action, which has already been extended once, ends on September 30.

“We work to bring public policies in the interest of Brazilian society. Now we have a big challenge: not allowing polio to be reintroduced in Brazil,” said Queiroga.

So far, vaccination coverage against polio among children is 51.80%, according to data from the Ministry of Health’s LocalizaSUS platform. The portfolio’s goal is to reach a coverage rate of 95% for this population.

The national campaign and the event held this Saturday seek to mobilize parents and guardians for the immunization of children between one and under five years of age against the virus that causes infantile paralysis.

At the same time, the multi-vaccination campaign updates the vaccination booklet of children and adolescents under 15 years of age.

“Fathers, mothers, grandmothers and guardians, take the children to exercise their right to have access to the vaccine. We do not want diseases that have been eliminated for so long to reach our country again”, said the minister.

Campaign

The National Immunization Program (PNI) and public health experts warn about the importance and benefit of vaccination to prevent the reintroduction of the polio virus. The last case of the disease in the country was registered in 1989, in the state of Paraíba. Brazil received the disease elimination certificate in 1994.

Polio is a contagious disease caused by a virus that can infect children and adults. In severe cases, it can lead to paralysis in the legs.

The target audience is more than 14.3 million children under five years of age, and children under 1 year of age must be immunized according to the vaccination status for the primary regimen.

According to the ministry, children aged 1 to 4 years should take a dose of the Oral Poliomyelitis Vaccine (OPV), provided they have already received the three doses of Inactivated Poliomyelitis Vaccine (VIP) in the basic regimen.

So far, about 6 million doses have been applied in Brazil, according to the ministry.

about polio

Polio is a contagious disease caused by a virus that can infect children and adults. In severe cases, it can lead to paralysis in the legs. The Ministry of Health warns that vaccination is the only form of prevention and that all children under five must be immunized.

Polio vaccine coverage has shown results below the target of 95% since 2016, which according to experts can lead to the reintroduction of the virus in the country.

In an interview with CNN the president of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm), Juarez Cunha, stated that the risk of the return of infantile paralysis in Brazil is considered high.

“We have safe, effective and free vaccines that offer every possibility of preventing the resurgence of this disease in Brazil, but we see little adherence to both the government’s campaign against polio and all other vaccines,” said Cunha.