According to Public Health bodies and the Ministry of Health, increasing the vaccination rate is the only way to prevent polio from resurfacing in Brazil. The vaccine is also, today, the only method of preventing the disease. According to folder data, the progressive decline in polio vaccination coverage has been going on for a few years. The target audience for immunization against the disease is children between one and four years old.
Vaccination coverage fell 23% in 10 years
In 2010, 99% of the target group had been vaccinated. Five years later, in 2015, 98,5%.
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As of 2017, the vaccination coverage target of 95% was no longer achieved: it fell to 76% in 2020 and to 69,99% in 2021.
- Child vaccination suffers sharp drop in Brazil (FioCruz)
- Stoppage of the only national BCG factory explains shortage of doses and low immunization (FioCruz)
- Vaccine: polio tragedy is forgotten and country faces threat to the future (Correio Brasiliense)
World Polio Day
Established in October 24th, 1984, the date refers to the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a polio vaccine.
Immunization in Brazil
This year, the Ministry of Health carried out the National Vaccination Campaign. The objective, among others, is to re-achieve the polio immunization target for 95% of the target audience: 14,3 million children under 5 years old.
In many locations, however, the campaign's work fell far short of achieving its goal. In Belo Horizonte (MG), for example, only 1% of children with delayed polio doses attended the joint efforts held between October 12th and 15th.
What is polio?
Poliomyelitis, also known as infantile paralysis, is a viral infection that can cause serious damage to the central nervous system, leaving motor sequelae (mainly to the lower limbs) that have no cure, such as:
- paralysis
- atrophy
- muscle weakness
- joint pain
- different growth of one of the members
- post-polio syndrome (with symptoms that appear some time after contact with the virus: muscle pain, joint pain, tiredness, cramps, weakness.)
The disease is contagious and caused by the poliovirus. This virus lives in the intestine, and can infect children and adults through direct contact with feces or secretions eliminated through the mouth of infected people. (BBC)
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Vaccination Schedule
- 1st dose (injection): at 2 months;
- 2st dose (injection): at 4 months;
- 3st dose (injection): at 6 months;
- 1st booster dose (droplet): at 15 months;
- 2st booster dose (droplet): at age 4.
