Brazilian Cities Hold 'Dia D' Flu Vaccination for Priority Groups

Overview

• Health units in Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Juiz de Fora and the Piracicaba area ran Saturday “Dia D” drives with extra posts, longer hours and, in Porto Alegre, free bus rides.
• The public campaign uses a single-dose trivalent vaccine that targets H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B.
• Priority groups include children 6 months to under 6, people 60 and older, pregnant and postpartum women, health workers, teachers, indigenous and quilombola communities and people with chronic conditions.
• Fiocruz’s InfoGripe, reviewing March 29 to April 4, reports rising flu-linked hospitalizations in the Centre-South and flags 13 states on severe respiratory illness alert, with recent lab positives led by rhinovirus, influenza A and RSV.
• In Minas Gerais, at least 820 municipalities joined the push and the state logged more than 6,000 severe respiratory admissions this year, while Porto Alegre limited COVID-19 shots to seven sites with no doses for children under six.