The Ministry of Health expressed concern about the lack of adherence to the dengue vaccine in São Paulo state. Of the 1.1 million vaccines received, only 474,000 were administered as a first dose, and about 149,000 people returned for a second application. This means that even among those who sought vaccination, only 31% completed the vaccination schedule.
The scenario is not limited to São Paulo. Looking at Brazil as a whole, there were 2.2 million first doses and only 636,000 returned for the second order, less than 29%, according to preliminary data from the National Immunization Program Administration (DPNI).
So far, the vaccine is only available to children and adolescents aged 10 to 14 years, a range that corresponds to the second highest number of dengue hospitalizations. In the first place come the elderly, the group for whom the vaccine has not been issued by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa). Protection is provided by the Unified Health System (SUS) and the correct interval between applying the two doses is three months.
“This audience has lower adherence precisely because it is not the age at which it routinely attends health services. Therefore, parents and guardians need to take their children and adolescents for vaccination,” asks the Minister of Health and Environmental Control, Ethel Maciel.
“Active research is being conducted to ensure that the second dose is applied to adolescents,” the ministry stated in a memorandum. The dossier does not include details of the actions, but highlights schools as key allies.
Not all cities have received the vaccine, only health regions with large municipalities that have seen a high transmission rate of the virus in the past 10 years. Other criteria for selecting sites were a population equal to or greater than 100,000 people and high dengue infection rates in recent months.
In addition to the vaccination device, all recommendations against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes remain in place, including not leaving standing water; Sealing tanks and water tanks; Opening gutters, boards and drains.
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