Brazil Starts National Flu Vaccination Drive With Day D

Overview

• The national Day D campaign, which began Saturday, runs through May 30 across the Centre‑West, Northeast, Southeast and South, with the North set for the second semester.
• The Health Ministry has shipped 15.7 million trivalent doses and states opened extra sites, including 984 posts in Paraíba and 113 locations in Brasília.
• Priority groups include children 6 months to under 6 years, adults 60 and older, pregnant and postpartum people, health workers, teachers and others at higher risk.
• Children 6 months to 8 years may need two shots if never vaccinated, and clinics allow the flu shot with other routine vaccines such as COVID‑19 on the same visit.
• Surveillance logged 14,300 severe respiratory cases and about 840 deaths by March 14, with influenza in 28.1% of identified severe infections, and Rio reported 174 severe flu cases and five deaths this year.