Back to school, SES-AM encourages polio vaccination

VACCINATION

In severe cases of the disease, the respiratory muscles can also be impacted, leading to cases of death.

Manaus (AM) – To reduce the risks of infectious disease, caused by a virus that lives in the intestine, the poliovirus, the State Department of Health of Amazonas (SES-AM) reinforces the importance of updating children’s vaccination records against polio this back to school .

Poliomyelitis can affect adults and children, after infection from direct contact with the virus present in sewage or secretions eliminated through the mouth of sick people. In severe cases, where muscle paralysis occurs, the lower limbs are the most affected, but the respiratory muscles can also be impacted, leading to cases of death.

The Secretary of State for Health, Anoar Samad, stresses the importance of children having an up-to-date vaccine booklet.

“It is extremely important to be aware of the signs, especially in children. Mom, dad, be aware that the vaccination cycle is complete. Unfortunately, we still have this terrible disease, which has very low vaccination coverage in our country and which is at risk of returning, so let’s pay attention to this because they are lifesaving drops”, emphasizes the manager.

Prevention

The vaccine is the only way to prevent polio. The vaccination cycle consists of administering three doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), at 2, 4 and 6 months of age, with an interval of 60 days between doses.

Amazonas has 76% vaccination coverage against poliomyelitis. Since 2016, vaccination coverage against the disease in the state has been below the target set by the Ministry of Health, which is 95%.

The director-president of the Amazonas Health Surveillance Foundation – Dr. Rosemary Costa Pinto (FVS-RCP), Tatyana Amorim, reinforces that the population is aware that without the vaccine, there is no chance of prevention.

“The possibility of prevention is infinitely better than contracting such a serious illness. Parents who take their children for polio vaccinations are doing an act of love. This is an appeal that health makes to inform parents about the importance of vaccination so that we can once again reach the vaccination coverage goal recommended by the Ministry of Health”, she says.

disease eradicated

Amazonas has not had a record of poliomyelitis since 1989. Before its eradication, infantile paralysis generated great fear among the population due to the serious consequences it caused to a number of people affected. There was a great mobilization of the scientific community that led to the development of vaccines that are used until today.

However, the low vaccination coverage is very worrying for Health Surveillance, as it means a reduction in the level of protection of the population, which thus becomes vulnerable to a possible reintroduction of the wild poliovirus in the country. It is also important to highlight that the population is only considered protected if the goal of 95% of the target public is reached.

With advisory information*

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