RN: 21 cities have a high risk of poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis, better known as infantile paralysis, a highly contagious disease and easily avoided in Brazil in 1994, according to information from the World Health Organization. Health (WHO), may reappear due to low immunization coverage and lack of interest of the population to vaccinate children between 0 and 4 years. A report from the Ministry of Health (MoH), published on June 30, indicates that 312 municipalities in the country fall short of the minimum target of vaccination against childhood paralysis stipulated by the member states – the list brings together 21 cities of the country. Rio Grande do Norte.

Municipal Health Department guarantees that in Natal, all units
The health coordinator of the State Secretariat for Public Health (Sesap), Maria de Lima, and the head of the Natal Epidemiological Surveillance Sector, Aline Bezerra, ensure that the vaccines are stored in the vaccine against poliomyelitis

. Vaccine stocks are provided, remittances received from the federal government are also up-to-date, and municipal core networks are available. But even with all campaigns, vaccine coverage rates routinely fall into the state for all sorts of diseases – some very serious, and easy to prevent, as if contracted can lead to death. Yesterday, due to the optional point, the stations were closed and the information could not be verified.

Cities like Natal, São Gonçalo do Amarante and Canguaretama are included in the list established by the Ministry of Health. 52,000 children, aged 0 to 4 years, about 30,000 (or 57.34%) did not receive any of the five scheduled doses of polio vaccine. According to data released by the Ministry of Health on June 30, the low number of vaccinations recorded in 2018 against polio is the lowest of the last 16 years.

Aline Bezerra badured that there is an available vaccine (oral and injectable) all the basic health units (BHU) of the municipal public network. "Poliomyelitis is a vaccine available daily for primary health care and is part of the national immunization schedule with periodic campaigns, which is missing, it 's information of parents about the polio. importance of the vaccine and the risks of reintroduction of poliomyelitis in society "

The decline in immunization coverage against polio is emblematic, but low immunization also extends to other diseases such as tuberculosis , hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, meningitis, measles, rubella, mumps and chicken pox. According to the Ministry of Health, the criteria for alerting are municipalities that have not even reached 50% of the immunization coverage against the disease. The minimum target stipulated by the Member States for diseases such as poliomyelitis is 95%. Among the municipalities at risk of recurrence of NB disease is Natal, which completed 42.6% of the vaccination coverage. The city with the lowest vaccination rate was Monte das Gameleiras, with only 18.1% of children under one year vaccinated. In the RN, none of the 10 mandatory vaccines were able to reach the minimum target of 95% of the stipulated coverage.

The infectious disease doctor Luis Alberto Marinho pointed out that at the first unsatisfactory result, the Ministry of Health "should have made it a priority to develop campaigns to encourage immunization". "As the polio vaccine is given at the same time as rubella and mumps, the fall in these numbers is alarming because it represents the possibility of not returning one but several diseases."

For Maria de Lima, of Sesap, factors such as lack of information, low risk perception and spreading false news across social networks are among the reasons that generate this negative result. "The big concern is the return of these diseases, some already eliminated such as polio, and others in the process of eradicating measles.The low vaccination rate can cause major health problems at the newborn population and, in addition to children from other states, we are conducting Brazil as a whole. "

Another reason mentioned by the coordinator relates to the hours of operation of the units of health units (BHU Maria de Lima explained that "many parents end up looking for vaccines" because of the difficulty of reconciling routine work with the hours of operation of basic health services: "In some cities, BHU only works in the morning, in the afternoon, and sometimes do not work on Fridays.We need, from the state and municipalities, to develop a strategy to do an active search children who do not have their vaccination portfolio up to date. "

Since 2015, Brazil has experienced a dramatic decline in immunization coverage year, which increases the risk of returning diseases already eradicated in the country or in the process of elimination.

The 10 compulsory vaccines in the RN available from the SUS in the public network:

1. BCG
Immunization coverage:
2015 – 105.9% (or 5.9% above the target set by the Ministry of Health) of health)
2016 89.2%
2017 62.1%
2018 69.5%

2. Hepatitis B
Vaccination is given in three doses, the first in the first 12 hours of life, about 90% of infected patients become chronic carriers and 25 % develop liver cancer or cirrhosis
Immunization coverage:
2015 91%
2016 83.4%
2017 66.3%
2018 43%

3. Penta
The pentavalent vaccine is badociated with hepatitis B and immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, meningitis and other infections.
Immunization coverage:
2015 90.5%
2016 76.3%
2017 64.6%
2018 42.5%

4. Polio (Vip and Vop)
The vaccine prevents poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis), a highly contagious disease caused by viruses. In 1994, Brazil received the certificate of elimination of poliomyelitis
Immunization coverage:
2015 97.6%
2016 70.2%
2017 63.9%

5. Pneumo 10
Prevention of infections such as pneumonia, meningitis, acute otitis media, sinusitis and bacteremia
] 2018 53.7%

of health