Brasília, April 14, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - With the goal of protecting over 10.6 million senior citizens from the virus responsible for causing flu, the Ministry of Health (MS) will begin a vaccination campaign on Saturday (17) for elderly members of the population across Brazil. The campaign will run until April 30. The objective is to immunize 70% of the over 15 million Brazilians who are 60 years old or more, according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
This year's campaign plans to publicize the numerous benefits of the vaccine, which, in addition to reducing the risk of catching flu by 90%, lowers the incidence of pulmonary, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases.
During the period of the campaign, more than 16.6 million doses of the vaccine against the influenza virus, responsible for causing flu, will be available in health posts around the country. The number of doses is 200 thousand more than last year. The posts will also receive 300 thousand doses of pneumococcus vaccine, which offers protection against pneumonia. The double vaccine for adults, against diphtheria and tetanus, will also be on hand.
Senior citizens who live in geriatric residences, shelters for the elderly, and hospitals will be vaccinated by mobile teams from municipal health departments. Even people who suffer from cardiac problems, asthma, diabetes, hypertension, or kidney or liver insufficiency, or who are carriers of the HIV virus, should take the flu vaccine. The only contraindication is for individuals with a proven allergy to egg protein and Thimerosal (mercurochrome or merthiolate).
Vaccination of senior citizens has been conducted in Brazil since 1999. The MS estimates that, since the inception of the campaigns, the annual number of hospitalizations of people over 60 in consequence of flu complications has been reduced by 20 thousand.
Even though it is a recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil is one of the few countries that provides vaccine at no cost to people over 60.
This year the national senior citizen vaccination campaign will spend US$ 36.3 million (R$ 105.1 million), of which US$ 32.6 million (R$ 94.4 million) will be utilized just to purchase the vaccines.
The flu vaccine used in Brazil is derived from the three stocks (virus sub-types) that circulate most widely in the Southern Hemisphere. The dose takes two weeks to begin to have an effect and should be taken every year.
"The risk that new virus stocks will appear, capable of causing more serious cases and more powerful epidemics, increases each year. The way to prevent these outbreaks is to get people to take the vaccine every year," explains Jarbas Barbosa, secretary of Health Surveillance in the Ministry.
Translator: David Silberstein
