North region is the one with the least flu vaccine in the country – 05/19/2023 – Health

The North region has the lowest flu vaccination coverage in the country, with 28.3%, according to the platform of the Secretariat of Information and Digital Health, linked to the Ministry of Health.

In the target population, 6.5 million doses were applied — 5.09 million of which if only the groups defined by the ministry for calculating vaccination coverage are considered, which are pregnant women, puerperal women, the elderly, health workers, teachers and indigenous peoples. The data is from last Wednesday (17).

The federal government anticipated the vaccination scheme in the North to the second half of March – in the rest of the country, the campaign began on April 10. In the Northeast, Midwest, South and Southeast, the coverage rate exceeds 30%.

Acre and Roraima have the lowest rates, 15.03% and 11.7%, respectively. The highest belong to three states in the Northeast: Maranhão (68.2%), Paraíba (49.8%) and Pernambuco (42.1%).

The Secretary of Health of Roraima stated that it reinforces with the population the importance of immunization as the only safe way to avoid complications from the flu. According to the folder, the municipalities of Amajari, São Luiz and Uiramutã are, at the moment, with zero vaccination coverage.

A Sheet approached the Government of Acre to comment on the low rate, but there was no response.

“In the North, the regions are more distant, with more difficult access and less recording of the applied doses, so you have under-recording. There are fewer vaccine rooms, less training”, says pediatrician Renato Kfouri, vice president of SBIm ( Brazilian Society of Immunizations). “It is the structure of an Amazon region compared to that of a large metropolis in the South and Southeast”, comments

The scenario of low coverage prevails in the country. Since Monday (15), the vaccine against the influenza virus has been released to all Brazilians over six months old. Until Wednesday night (17), the ministry had not made vaccination data for the general public available on the panel.

The report asked the federations if they have already extended immunization. In Piauí, the State Department of Health said that there is no need. In the capital Teresina, the measure will be valid from next Monday (22). The Secretary of Health of Minas Gerais only said that the offer follows the availability of doses and the strategy defined by the municipalities. In the other states and in the Federal District, expansion has already begun.

Until 7:15 pm on Wednesday, Brazil had already applied more than 25.8 million doses of the flu vaccine.

In the period, the vaccination coverage rate of the groups considered for the official calculation totaled 34.2%. The goal is to reach 90%.

The report asked the Ministry of Health about the distribution of doses to the states, but even the publication did not receive a response.

According to the pediatrician, the high demand for the vaccine is related to risk. “The flu campaign has a characteristic that is linked to the activity of the virus in that year. When there is greater activity, a more aggressive strain and a season with more cases, hospitalizations and deaths, adherence to the campaign is much greater. This year, although the season is at the beginning, unfortunately, there has not been the adhesion that we would like”, says Kfouri.

“For the first time, we are opening the campaign to the population, and that is up for debate. Throwing away the vaccine is not interesting. Opening the campaign only after the influenza season has started —the vaccine takes a month to take effect— also it is not interesting. Opening it to the entire population early has the advantage of using the vaccine in most of the population at the right time, before the winter season”, he says.

For public health physician Adriano Massuda, professor at FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas), it is necessary to strengthen Primary Care and the National Immunization Program, in addition to innovating and improving communication with the population.

“It is not enough to take the vaccine. The ministry needs to make the population understand the importance of vaccination, at the same time that it needs to resume visits by community health agents, carrying out an active search and identifying vulnerable groups. federal government, in the sense of charging the states that charge the municipalities with an action to change this reality”, says Massuda.

“It is not possible to carry out a cold analysis without taking into account the entire process of deconstruction that has taken place over the last six years. The high indicators that we have already had were built over years, of strong investment in making the population aware of the need for vaccination, involving the National Immunization Program together with the expansion of the Family Health Strategy”, complements the professor.

Massuda defends the formation of a political pact. “If there is difficulty in increasing vaccination coverage, the federal government should call the governors and mayors of the capitals to talk about the need to strengthen immunization programs, and that they too be responsible for this.”

Fake news and the population’s disbelief in vaccines also have a share of responsibility, according to Massuda.

“This Bolsonarist heritage disrupted the health system and raised doubts in a large part of the population, including health professionals, discussing the effectiveness of vaccines. It is essential that this be taken into account. It is not mere inefficiency of the health system”, affirm.

The Ministry of Health recommends two doses of the vaccine against the influenza virus for children aged 6 months to less than 9 years old, who will be vaccinated for the first time. The interval must be at least 30 days. From 9 years old, the dose is single.

Influenza is an acute infection of the respiratory system, caused by the influenza virus, which has great transmission potential.

The most common symptoms are cough, shortness of breath, fever, headache, sore throat and body, malaise, chills, excessive nasal discharge, fatigue and diarrhea.

High fever and difficulty breathing are signs of aggravation. The main complication is pneumonia, but the patient may experience worsening chronic diseases, otitis, sinusitis and dehydration.

“Seven to eight out of every ten flu deaths that occur every year in the country occur in vulnerable groups — the elderly, children, the chronically ill, pregnant women”, warns Kfouri.