The Ministry of Health has reduced the age of children who can receive the flu vaccine in 2022. Now the public will be limited to those who have not yet turned 5 years old. Until 2021, the vaccine was being administered to children under 6 years of age.
Behind the scenes, technicians said that, for the operation to be more effective, it is necessary to match the target age with that of the measles vaccination, which suffers from the lack of syringes and will occur together with the flu.
The folder announced this Monday (15) that flu vaccination will begin on April 4. 80 million doses of influenza vaccine will be distributed throughout the country.​
​The National Campaign against Measles will take place simultaneously with the National Campaign against Influenza this year.
There is currently a lack of syringes to extend the measles vaccine to 5 years or more. In this way, the folder says, behind the scenes, that the vaccination operation will be more effective with the same age for both vaccines.
The two campaigns should expand the age range of vaccination this year, when the situation of syringes is regularized, say technicians.
Last year there was no specific measles vaccination campaign. The vaccine entered the National Multivaccination Campaign, which took place from October 1 to 29, 2021.
The Ministry of Health said, through a note, that the measure of carrying out the campaign simultaneously aims to offer vaccination against both diseases and expand vaccination coverage.
“Both campaigns will be focused on children from six months to under five years of age, aiming to optimize operational issues of vaccination services in states and municipalities and reduce the risk of complications and deaths for influenza in this age group”, said the ministry. in note.
Renato Kfouri, president of the Immunization Department of the SBP (Brazilian Society of Pediatrics), said that there is no technical reason for the decision.
“There is no scientific recommendation for this. Even more so, children who have more diseases are often the gateway to the virus in the family and help in the transmission chain”, he highlighted.
The flu campaign in the country will take place in two stages. The first, which takes place from April 4 to May 2, will include seniors aged 60 and over and health workers. Other groups will receive the vaccine in the second stage, which will take place from May 3 to June 3.
D-day of national mobilization is scheduled for April 30th. The campaign is expected to end on June 3.
The trivalent influenza vaccine used by the SUS is produced by the Butantan Institute. It is composed of the H1N1 viruses, the B strain and the H3N2, of the Darwin subtype. This subtype was responsible for the off-season flu epidemic that hit São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other states in late 2021 and early 2022.
The Butantan Institute said in a note that it had already delivered 2 million doses to the Ministry of Health in February this year. The forecast is that it will deliver 40 million at the end of March and the other 40 million by the end of April.
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