By Andrea Hargraves 
Another 165 Brazilian municipalities will receive a new shipment of dengue vaccine in April. However, Sorocaba and the region were again excluded from the list issued by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday (27). The decision differs from the one announced in January this year, when the federal agency promised that the 645 cities that make up the state of São Paulo would have access to the vaccine by February, to begin vaccinating the population. However, this did not happen.
The only areas in São Paulo on the list of those that will receive the vaccine in the future shipment are the Guarani aquifer (which covers parts of the Ribeirão Preto and São Carlos regions), Campinas, São José do Río Preto, Alto do Tete and the state capital.
According to the Ministry of Health, some criteria have been set for distributing the first batches of the vaccine: large municipalities with a high transmission rate in the last ten years and a population equal to or exceeding 100,000 people. The government also took into account the rate of transmission of the disease in recent months.
The vaccine is intended for people ages 10 to 14, the population that accounts for the highest percentage of hospitalizations due to the disease. The vaccination schedule consists of two doses, three months apart. The redistributed doses are expected to begin being used next week, depending on each site's reallocation process.
The transfer of doses that are close to expiration to municipalities within the same states will be detailed in a technical note to be released today (31). Mato Grosso do Sul will not be part of the redistribution, as all municipalities in the state are initially included. This is also the case in the Federal District – the federal unit that includes the Federal Capital has no municipalities. Amapa was chosen to receive the remaining doses from these federal units, taking into account the epidemiological situation in the state.
Epidemiological scenario
Today, Brazil has more than 2.3 million probable cases of dengue and 830 deaths. In the state of São Paulo alone, according to the monitoring committee made available by the state Ministry of Health, as of yesterday afternoon (30), there were 376 thousand people confirmed with the disease and 158 deaths.
In the Epidemiological Surveillance Group (GVE) of Sorocaba, made up of 33 municipalities, there are 15,000 confirmed cases, compared to 45,000 notifications. Regarding deaths, five are under investigation and two are confirmed.
One of the municipalities with the highest number of cases in the Sorocaba region is Itu. There are currently 5,044 positive results and one death. The city has a dengue care center that has been operating since February. Residents can go to Health Unit (UBS) 5, Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The situation in Sorocaba
The monitoring board indicates that there are 13,000 dengue notifications in Sorocaba and just over 5,000 confirmations. So far, one death (a 40-year-old woman) has been recorded due to the disease in the city. Another death awaits the results of the Adolfo Lutz Institute, the institution responsible for the tests.
As the number of cases increased, in February, Mayor Rodrigo Manga (Republican) declared a state of emergency. Among the measures announced is the expansion of working hours at three UBS: Fiori, Hortensia and Simos. The health units are open Monday to Friday from 7pm to 10pm to provide exclusive care to patients with suspected or confirmed dengue fever.
The decree also allows the municipal government to fine owners of dirty properties and lands who do not comply with the order to conduct cleaning. The “mosquito killer ship” is also allowed to enter abandoned places without a permit, to spray poison.
(from the editor)