MS makes international purchase of chickenpox vaccine – 02/06/2024 – Health

The Ministry of Health began an emergency international purchase of the varicella vaccine, which prevents chicken pox, due to a shortage of doses in the country. The department awaits the delivery of doses.

In March 2023, Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) ordered the suspension of the vaccine due to a change in the production method. In July, the agency reopened distribution, but, according to Saúde, the interruption impacted the delivery schedule.

São Paulo has received less than half of the doses it needs per month, according to the state Department of Health. The state needs around 270,000 doses per month, but received around 30,000 doses in October 2023 and another 50,000 in December.

In January, the government of Acre reported that it received 1,600 doses of the vaccine, despite needing 4,000 to 5,000 doses per month. Vaccination against chickenpox had to be interrupted in the state due to lack of stock. In the schedule for February, the federal technical area and the state secretariat reached a consensus for the distribution of 1,000 doses.

Bahia, Roraima, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Sul also reported vaccine shortages.

The Ministry of Health states that the supplying laboratory gradually resumed supplying the vaccines. In January, the department received a delivery of 559,400 doses, which it distributed among the states. There is still no forecast of when delivery will be normalized.

The chickenpox vaccine is free and can be received at all UBSs (Basic Health Units) and AMAs (Outpatient Medical Assistance)/Integrated UBS.

The disease

Chickenpox is an acute, highly contagious febrile viral infection characterized by the appearance of blisters on the skin. It appears more frequently in children and occurs at the end of winter and beginning of spring.

Highly contagious, the disease is transmitted from person to person, through direct contact, with respiratory secretions and skin lesions, which tend to be very itchy.

Chickenpox symptoms generally begin on the tenth day after infection. The main signs and symptoms of the disease, in addition to red spots and blisters on the body, are malaise, tiredness, headache, loss of appetite, low-grade fever.

In children, the disease is benign and is controlled by the body itself. But in adolescents and adults, in general, the clinical picture can be more serious.