A suspected case of polio is investigated in the state of Roraima. The Municipal Health Department of Rorainópolis, in the south of the state, said in a note that the Health Surveillance Coordination received the notification of the case on Monday (29).
The last case of the disease in the country was registered in 1989, in the state of Paraíba. The disease is considered eradicated in the country. In August, the Ministry of Health launched a national vaccination campaign with the aim of expanding vaccination coverage against the disease.
The estimate of the folder is to immunize almost 15 million children against the disease that can cause infantile paralysis. The target group is children under 5 years of age, totaling more than 14.3 million people, and children under 1 year of age should be vaccinated according to the vaccination status found for the primary scheme, according to the ministry.
The ministry recommends that children aged one to four years be vaccinated indiscriminately with the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), provided that they have already received the three doses of Inactivated Poliomyelitis Vaccine (VIP) in the basic regimen.
“We have to immunize 15 million children against polio. It is not an exclusive responsibility of the Ministry of Health to carry out this type of action. We have the immunization programs of states and municipalities that are fundamental and essential so that the vaccine, which is a duty of the state, but above all a right of every Brazilian, can reach each of our 15 million children” , said Queiroga at the campaign’s launch event.
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 vaccination 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.
(With information from Ricardo Gouveia and Bel Campos, from CNN)
Source: CNN Brasil
