A study shows that two out of three deaths of babies up to one year old in Brazil could be avoided through access to basic health care, breastfeeding and vaccination.
The data are from the Childhood Health Observatory, which brings together researchers from Fiocruz and the Arthur de Sá Earp Neto University Center (Unifase).
According to the survey, in the last three years, the country recorded an average of 22,000 annual deaths of babies up to one year old.
Cristiano Boccolini, who works at the Health Information Laboratory of the Institute of Communication and Scientific Information Technological in Health (Icict/Fiocruz), says that developed countries have a mortality rate in this age group of two deaths per thousand births.
However, Brazil adds up to 11.87 per thousand.
To calculate preventable deaths, by crossing its own databases and those of the federal government, the Observatório de Saúde na Infância listed problems that could be contained by care in the basic health network, from prenatal care to diagnosis and treatment, such as diarrhea, diseases for which there are already vaccines, pneumonia and infections at birth.
“About 40% of deaths could be avoided with adequate prenatal care, from coverage to better quality. Around 15% could be avoided with adequate primary care actions, such as diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia and diarrhea, provision of adequate food and vaccination. CNN .
Country struggles to reach measles vaccination target
Given the scenario revealed by the Childhood Health Observatory, the drop in vaccination coverage is a concern, as highlighted by Patrícia Boccolini, a researcher linked to the Center for Information, Public Policies and Inclusion (NIPPIS), cooperation between Fiocruz and Unifase.
This Monday (2), the second stage of the national campaign against influenza and measles began, which has children aged between six months and under five years among the priority groups.
Patrícia Boccolini defends that parents should take their children to the health centers. According to the researcher, in the last three years, measles killed 26 children up to five years old. Data from the Observatory also show that, in 2021, no state has met the target of 95% vaccination coverage against the disease. Among the more than 5,500 municipalities in the country, only about 12% reached the rate.
According to information from the Ministry of Health, last year, Rio de Janeiro recorded the worst first dose coverage against measles: 56.74%. In 2018, the index was 99.66%. In the case of the second dose, the rate dropped from 70.18% to 36.79% in the period. As for the second dose, Acre and Pará have the worst results, with 25.62% and 26.7%, respectively.
The Observatory researcher assesses that a number of factors contribute to the decline in immunization. “The increase in misinformation about the vaccine itself has contributed a lot to this drop. And the success of the National Immunization Plan itself weighs against him. People don’t see anyone with polio, measles anymore,” she added.
In 2016, Brazil received the measles elimination certification, which returned in 2018. For Patrícia Boccolini, this year’s campaign is essential to prevent the growth of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Source: CNN Brasil
