The Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, said this Monday (25) that there is no provision for vaccinating the entire population against monkeypox (monkeypox) and that the priority should be the isolation of confirmed cases and guidance on ways to Contagion.
as showed the SheetBrazil is negotiating the purchase of the vaccine with PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), but the idea is to immunize only health professionals who deal directly with the virus, such as those who work in laboratories.
“Most, almost all cases, have been identified in men who have sex with men. This is not to stigmatize these people. , said Queiroga.
“I am saying this because it is more important to be careful with all these aspects, isolation of cases, than with the vaccine issue. There is no forecast of mass vaccination in relation to monkeypox in any country in the world. They are specific groups, which health authorities still do not have a consensus”, he added.
Monkeypox was declared a global public health emergency by the WHO (World Health Organization) on Saturday (23) and the number of confirmed cases in Brazil is now over 600, most in the state of São Paulo.
The smallpox vaccine stopped being produced on a large scale with the eradication of the disease in 1980. Currently, there are only two options: Jynneos, produced by the Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic, and ACAM2000, manufactured by Sanofi.
“Since these rumors emerged, the Ministry of Health has dialogued directly with the industry, but this industry has no representation in Brazil and, therefore, cannot claim registration. [da vacina] at Anvisa [Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária]”, he stated.
“Neither, as far as I am aware, has the industry shown interest in applying for registration, but Brazil participates in actions with PAHO and WHO and, through the revolving fund, is negotiating to acquire doses available to reach the public that is recommended for these vaccines. In principle, health professionals who deal directly with the material that may pose the greatest risk of contagion.”
The minister’s statement took place during a training event on public health surveillance organized by Brazil in partnership with PAHO, in BrasÃlia, which brought together representatives from 42 countries.
Queiroga also stated that the government intends to expand the capacity to diagnose monkeypox through the central health laboratories, which are public.
Today, only four laboratories analyze suspicious samples from all over Brazil: Funed (Fundação Ezequiel Dias), in Minas Gerais, UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz) and Instituto Adolfo Lutz, from Sao Paulo.
childhood vaccination
The Minister of Health also stated that Brazil must import more doses of Coronavac for the Covid-19 vaccination of children aged 3 and 4 years through the global consortium Covax Facility, not the Butantan Institute.
Queiroga said that this is the fastest option and that the country has credit with the consortium because the immunizers that had been acquired previously were only made available when vaccination was already advanced.
“The option is to purchase from the Covax Facility mechanism, because they are ready-made doses and it would be faster to make vaccines available to those who, in a non-forced way, want to receive vaccines in basic health units in Brazil”, he said.
The minister also insisted that municipalities have sufficient doses of Coronavac to start vaccinating 3 and 4-year-old children — included in the National Immunization Program after Anvisa authorized the emergency use of the immunizer in this age group on June 13.
Last week, the executive secretary, Daniel Pereira, said that the ministry will relocate the doses of Coronavac that have already been distributed in the face of complaints from some states of lack of vaccines.
The ministry’s understanding is that municipalities do not need to wait for the delivery of 100% of the doses to start vaccination because not all parents intend to vaccinate their children. In addition, the portfolio’s assessment is that city halls can also prioritize older children or children with comorbidities.
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