Child vaccination campaign is extended in SP – 11/14/2023 – Health

The multivaccination campaign aimed at children and adolescents in the state of São Paulo will be extended until November 30th. The action aims to offer delayed doses against different diseases and update the vaccination record for people under 15 years of age. In the capital, the campaign runs until the end of the school year, on December 21st.

Across the state, 860,000 children and adolescents were vaccinated by the campaign as of this Tuesday (14). According to the State Department of Health, around 60% of the public who sought a health unit had overdue doses.

The campaign would end this Wednesday (15), but was extended for another two weeks by the state government. “Our concern at this moment is with the possibility of reintroduction or re-emergence of some viruses, such as the case of polio, which is a virus that we do not have circulation in the Americas, and also the measles virus, of which we do not have any cases confirmed since last year. To maintain these levels, we need to achieve high vaccination coverage”, says doctor Tatiana Lang D’Agostini, director of the São Paulo State Epidemiological Surveillance Center.

According to SES, immunization against several diseases has been below ideal levels since 2016. The administration of governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) states that coverage levels have increased compared to last year, but remain below 90%, a level considered satisfactory by the Ministry of Health. Vaccines against polio and measles (1st dose), for example, reached 85.9% and 89.9% of the target audience respectively.

The multivaccination campaign offers vaccines for polio, meningococcal C conjugate, triple viral (measles, mumps and rubella), yellow fever, pentavalent (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and diseases caused by hemophilia b), chickenpox, HPV (among 9 and 14 years of age), BCG (tuberculosis) and Covid-19.

The doses are offered in schools, places with large circulation of people and rural areas, in addition to more than 5 thousand health centers in the 645 municipalities of São Paulo. Each city has its own vaccination strategies.

In the capital, the SMS (Municipal Health Department) intensifies the active search for children and adolescents with an incomplete vaccination schedule during the campaign. Another strategy is to administer the vaccine to public school students.

According to the municipal secretariat, approximately 560 thousand doses of immunization agents were administered to the campaign public until this Monday (13). Around 70% were children up to 4 years old.

Immunizers are available at the city’s 470 UBSs (Basic Health Units) from Monday to Friday, and also on Saturdays and holidays at the AMAs/Integrated UBSs. Services are open from 7am to 7pm.

The state government’s Vacina 100 Dúvidas website brings together the 100 most frequently asked questions about vaccines in internet search and research systems. The space offers clear information to demystify inaccuracies and fake news related to immunization, helping to ensure the protection of the entire population.