BH starts vaccinating against dengue this Tuesday (27) – 02/26/2024 – Health

The city of Belo Horizonte begins this Tuesday (27) vaccination against dengue with the immunization of children aged 10 and 11.

The municipality’s expectation is that the entire city population in both age groups, 24 thousand in each, will receive the first dose of the vaccine.

For this, most of the first batch of vaccines received from the Ministry of Health will be used, around 49,500 doses of Qdenga.

The immunizing agent’s vaccination schedule is carried out in two doses, applied at an interval of three months, according to the Municipal Health Department. Vaccination will be carried out at health centers.

The Ministry of Health’s determination is that the population aged 10 to 14 will be the first to be vaccinated against dengue. The decision was taken because these are the age groups that have the highest rates of hospitalization due to the disease in the country.

The capital’s city hall declared a state of emergency due to dengue in the city on the 17th. According to the most recent report, released last Friday (23), the total number of cases of the disease in the city this year is 6,338, with seven deaths . The number of suspected cases is 23,923.

“To receive the vaccine, adolescents must be with their fathers, mothers or legal guardians. Furthermore, at the time of application, it is necessary to present, preferably, an identification document with photo or birth certificate, CPF, proof of address and vaccination card”, says the municipal administration.

According to the city hall, the vaccine can be administered simultaneously with the other doses of the National Vaccination Calendar for Children and Adolescents, of the PNI (National Immunization Program). In relation to those who have recently been diagnosed with dengue, the recommendation is that they wait six months after the onset of symptoms to start the vaccination schedule against the disease, points out the ministry.

“If infection with the virus occurs after receiving the first dose, there is no change in the interval between applications, as long as the second dose is not applied less than 30 days after the onset of the disease”, explains the Municipal Health Department .

The first doses of the dengue vaccine arrived in Minas Gerais sent by the Ministry of Health on Thursday (22).

The vaccines were sent to the health regions of Teófilo Otoni/Timóteo and Belo Horizonte, following recommendations from the Technical Advisory Chamber on Immunization and the World Health Organization.

The criteria are that the region must have at least one large municipality, that is, with more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, have high dengue transmission recorded in the last seasonal period, and have a greater predominance of the Denv-2 serotype.