The Ministry of Health reported that 51% of children aged 1 to less than 5 years were vaccinated against polio and measles after the immunization D-day, held on Saturday (18).

In total, more than 11.4 million doses of polio and measles vaccines (about 5.7 million doses each) were administered until Monday (20). The goal of the Ministry of Health is to vaccinate at least 95% of the 11.2 million children, regardless of their vaccination status.

The price goes until 31 August.

According to the ministry, children who have not yet taken a dose of the vaccine for polio will be immunized with the inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (VIP). Children who have already taken one or more doses receive the drop (Polio Vaccine – VOP). For measles, all children should receive one dose of the MMR vaccine, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated on time. The exception is for those who have been vaccinated in the last 30 days and do not need a new dose.

Currently the country is struggling with two outbreaks of measles, in Roraima and Amazonas. As of August 14, 910 cases of measles were confirmed in Amazonas and 5,630 were still being investigated. In Roraima there were 296 confirmed cases and 101 in the study.

The outbreaks are related to imports, since the genotype of the virus (D8) circulating in the country is the same as in Venezuela, a country that has been confronted with an outbreak of the disease since 2017. To date, six deaths from measles have been identified: four in Roraima (three in foreigners and one in Brazilian) and two in Amazonas (Brazilians).

edition: Carolina Pimentel