The drop in child immunization puts Brazil in a state of alert – International

Nowadays, the authorities roam the humble neighborhoods of Manaus, the state capital of Amazonas, to apply, door to door and with the support of the army Brazilian measles vaccines, even amid threats by drug traffickers.

The image is repeated in other cities of the country, also in the state of Roraima, where there is also a migratory crisis due to the exodus of Venezuelans fleeing the crisis in their country and have imported many cases. [19659003] In Amazonas and Roraima, 660 confirmed cases of measles have already been registered and another 2,700 are under investigation, according to official data. To these we must add those confirmed in Rio Grande do Sul (8), Rio de Janeiro (7), Sao Paulo (1) and Rondônia (1).

The measles virus has found a fertile soil to spread with a local population that has relaxed when vaccinating their children, as well as some doctors who treat them, according to the specialists consulted by Efe.

Immunization against measles, mumps and rubella, including in the triple virus, it declined for three years in Brazil and presented an 85% coverage in 2017, while in 2014 it was affecting almost 100%, according to data from the Ministry of Health. In some states, as in Pará, as poor in the north, only 68.45% were reached last year

The question is why less vaccination is done in Brazil, when the rest of the world s & dquo; Is registered in 2017? a record of vaccinated children (123 million), according to a study published by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). The answer, according to the Ministry of Health, is "the false feeling, in part of the population, that it is no longer necessary to vaccinate part of the population – and even some health professionals –

Carla Domingues, coordinator of the National Immunization Program, stresses that "the population no longer seems to recognize these diseases as an important public health problem" and that "as a result" there is a looseness in the non-acquisition of the vaccine ".

points out health professionals, many of whom, for a generational problem, have never treated these diseases during their consultations and, therefore, have not recommended vaccination ". such a strong way "as in previous decades. 19659003] In the early twentieth century, vaccine-preventable diseases, such as poliomyelitis or smallpox, were endemic in Brazil, causing a high number of cases and deaths throughout the country. The government's ongoing vaccination campaigns have eradicated urban yellow fever and smallpox and eliminated measles, polio and rubella, among others.

"Today, there is no such vibration compared to the campaigns that take place years ago Brazil has not stopped, but the communication does not seem to make people understand that it is still important to get vaccinated, "says Isabella Ballalai, pediatrician and president of the Brazilian Society of Immunization (SBIM).

Factors" that explain the decline in childhood immunization rates are also a harmful ingredient called "false news" ( false news ), which concern the health authorities.

"They circulate very quickly and they occupy a space disproportionate to the size of the groups that propagate them," says Ballalai.To fight against misinformation, the association promoted the portal familia.sbim.org.br, the first in Portuguese language certified by the "Vaccine Safety Net" of the WHO.

The measles epidemic is already a "real risk" in Brazil.Polomyelitis, for the moment, "is a theoretical risk, but there is, "warns Domingues and more taking into account that in 312 municipalities less than 50% of children have not been vaccinated against this disease.In this regard, Brazil will conduct a national campaign of vaccination against polio and measles from August 6 to 31. "It's enough to have a community with low coverage and these diseases can come back," says Ballalai. "The vaccine is not an option, it's not an option. Is an obligation, "concludes Domingues.