Between this Monday (8) and September 9, about 40 thousand health posts will apply doses of 18 vaccines that make up the national vaccination schedule for children and adolescents. Among them is the immunizing agent against poliomyelitis, which has new cases in countries that have not registered the disease for years. In Brazil, polio vaccination coverage has fallen in recent years.
According to the Ministry of Health, the expectation is to vaccinate at least 95% of children aged 1 to 5 years against polio. The ministry also hopes to reduce the number of children and adolescents under the age of 15 who are not vaccinated.
The goal is to raise the vaccination rate registered in Brazil against polio, also known as infantile paralysis. In 2021, coverage against the disease was only 67%.
Brazil has not recorded cases since 1990. However, PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) points the country as at high risk for the return of the disease.
Other countries that had not had the disease for years have recently diagnosed new cases. One of them was the United States, which, on July 21, had the first case of the disease in at least 30 years.
Israel was also re-diagnosed with polio. The case was of a child infected with the vaccine virus, a strain that comes from the Sabin vaccine — the “droplet” vaccine against poliomyelitis.
Cases of the disease caused by the vaccine virus can occur because it is caused by the attenuated pathogen, but they are very rare. Data from Sbim (Brazilian Society of Immunizations) indicate that cases of vaccine-associated polio are on average 1 diagnosis for every 3.2 million doses applied.
Malawi is another country that has had a new case of the disease. The African country recorded the infection caused by the wild virus, the one that circulates in nature. Polio is considered endemic for this type of pathogen in only two nations: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In addition to Sabin, there is the Salk vaccine. It is injectable and does not cause cases of vaccine virus disease. Therefore, the WHO (World Health Organization), since 2016, recommends that at least one of the doses of the vaccine schedule is with this immunizing agent.
In Brazil, three doses of the Salk type are recommended and the other two reinforcement applications of the “droplet”, Sabin.
other vaccines
The vaccination campaign consists of 18 immunizers – in addition to polio, vaccines for yellow fever, HPV and the MMR (measles, rubella and mumps) are applied.
In addition, the national campaign coincides with the application of doses against Covid-19. According to the Ministry of Health, vaccines against coronavirus can be applied simultaneously or with any interval with other immunizing agents.
Currently, immunization against Covid is authorized for children from three years of age.
UNDERSTAND POLYOMYELITIS
What are the main symptoms and sequelae of polio? The most recognized sequel is limb paralysis, but the disease can also cause joint pain, osteoporosis, muscle atrophy, difficulty speaking, among others. Symptoms include body aches, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, neck stiffness and spasms.
Who can be vaccinated against polio through SUS? The Ministry of Health recommends vaccination in children aged between two months and four years. There are cases in which vaccination is recommended for people over five years of age, such as a trip to a country that is experiencing an outbreak of the disease and the vaccination schedule is not yet complete.
How many doses make up the polio vaccination schedule? In total, there are five applications, two of which are reinforcements:
- First dose: at two months
- Second dose: at four months
- Third dose: at six months
- First booster: at 15 months
- Second booster: at four years old
The first three doses are made with the injectable vaccine (Salk) and the last two with the droplet version (Sabin).
In addition to vaccination, are there other ways to prevent the disease? To avoid infection, it is also important to take care of basic hygiene and have an efficient basic sanitation system.
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