The Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, said this Monday (22), in an interview with the press that vaccination against monkey pox in the country will prioritize, at first, specific groups of health professionals who work directly in the diagnosis of the disease and close contact with infected people.
“We are going to get 50,000 doses, via PAHO revolving fund [Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde]. These 50 thousand doses do not have the power to control this outbreak, these vaccines are there to protect health professionals who deal directly with contaminated materials – 50 thousand doses cannot protect all health professionals in Brazil, even because the most of them do not deal with this situation”, said the minister.
Queiroga explained that the 50,000 doses could immunize 25,000 people, due to the two-dose immunization regimen to protect against the disease. According to the minister, the vaccines will be sent in three shipments, with the first delivery scheduled for the month of September. Distribution will be discussed with states and municipalities.
On the possibility of expansion to other priority groups, the minister said that the portfolio will follow the recommendations that have been adopted by health authorities internationally.
“There are subgroups, pregnant women, children, others who are immunocompromised individuals, who are already undergoing chemotherapy or individuals with HIV. […] The vaccine and the medicine come as an additional element, but at this moment it is not the cornerstone of facing this monkeypox outbreak in Brazil”, he said.
The Ministry of Health is negotiating for the acquisition of vaccines and antivirals for the treatment of the disease with international entities, the World Health Organization (WHO) and PAHO.
national campaign
This Monday, the ministry launched the national monkeypox prevention campaign, with the aim of educating the population on the main forms of transmission of the disease. The action brings together recommendations to avoid contagion, symptoms and what to do in case of suspicion.
With the concept “Monkey Smallpox. Stay well with the right information”, the campaign will be broadcast on TV, radio, in places with large circulation of people, in addition to internet portals and social networks.
To date, Brazil has recorded 3,788 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the states of São Paulo (2,506), Rio de Janeiro (422), Minas Gerais (206), Federal District (141), Paraná (21), Goiás (143). ), Bahia (38), Ceará (29), Rio Grande do Norte (18), Espírito Santo (8), Pernambuco (20), Tocantins (1), Acre (1), Amazonas (1), Rio Grande do Sul (58), Mato Grosso do Sul (12), Mato Grosso (13), Amazonas (15), Santa Catarina (59), Paraná (86), Pará (6), Tocantins (1), Alagoas (1), Maranhão (2), Paraíba (1) and Piauí (2).
Source: CNN Brasil
