Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
6mo ago

Brazil Ramps Up Polio Vaccination as Coverage Lags, PAHO Warns of Reintroduction Risk

The country has switched to an all-injectable IPV schedule to restore childhood protection after years of declining uptake.

Image
Image
Image
Image

Overview

  • Ministry of Health data show 33 of 46 cities in the Vale do Paraíba and Bragantina region failed to reach the 95% target for the first polio dose, including São José dos Campos, Taubaté and Jacareí.
  • Municipal drives tied to World Polio Day include a Friday action in Itaperuna and a Saturday Day D mutirão in Rondonópolis with Rotary partnership and health units open for families.
  • National coverage remained 10 percentage points below the goal in 2023, following a series low of 71% recorded in 2021, according to the National Confederation of Municipalities.
  • Since November last year, Brazil replaced two oral bivalent boosters with a single inactivated injectable VIP dose, with doses at 2, 4 and 6 months plus a booster at 15 months available free at SUS clinics.
  • PAHO currently lists Brazil as at risk for poliovirus reintroduction, and experts emphasize that polio can cause irreversible paralysis and has no cure, making vaccination essential.