Far from goal, SP flu vaccine teachers and people with disabilities

Teachers from public and private schools, indigenous people, people with disabilities or with comorbidities were included in the fifth stage of influenza vaccination in the state of São Paulo and can now look for health posts for immunization. Until then, the campaign was aimed at health professionals, the elderly, children from six months to under 5 years old, pregnant women and postpartum women.

According to the State Department of Health, the goal is to immunize 90% of target audiences and, so far, only 40% of these people have taken the vaccine, with just over 5.1 million vaccinated.

All groups that are part of the campaign can still look for posts for immunization. “With lower temperatures, influenza can evolve into more serious cases, so it is essential that everyone attend the posts to be vaccinated”, says the director of immunization of the folder, Nubia Araújo, in the note released by the secretary.

With vaccines available since March 27, only 357,400 doses were administered to children (13.5% vaccine coverage), 24,700 to pregnant women (6%), 535,800 to health professionals ( 34.5%), 3,600 in postpartum women (5.3%) and 4.1 million in the elderly (45.1%).

The next and final stage begins on May 16, reaching professionals from the security and rescue forces, armed forces, prison system employees, truck drivers, workers in the collective road transport of urban and long-distance passengers, port workers and the population deprived of their liberty. and adolescents and young people under socio-educational measures.

The vaccine produced by the Butantan Institute against influenza is trivalent and 100% national, composed of the H1N1, strain B and H3N2 viruses, of the Darwin subtype, which caused overcrowding at health posts at the end of last year and in early 2022.

Infogripe bulletin last Thursday (5) pointed out that cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Srag) in adults rose for the first time in four weeks in the country.

In the city of São Paulo, the Municipal Health Department intensified a campaign to apply vaccines against Covid-19, influenza, MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), tetraviral (measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox), BCG, pentavalent, inactivated polio vaccine (VIP), oral polio vaccine (VOP), pneumo 10, rotavirus, meningus C, chickenpox, hepatitis A, yellow fever, DTP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis), adult double, hepatitis B, HPV, meningo ACWY and pneumo 23.

But attention is needed: for children between 5 and 11 years of age, measles and Covid-19 vaccination should not be applied simultaneously, and immunization against coronavirus should be prioritized – the other can be applied after 15 days.

For the general population, over 12 years and health workers, simultaneous immunization between measles, flu and Covid-19 vaccines can be done.