In recent years, adherence to the basic childhood vaccination schedule has been increasing in Rio Grande do Norte. From 2022 to 2023, for example, there was greater coverage recorded for 14 of the 16 vaccines that make up the childhood schedule of the National Immunization Program (PNI).
Data from last year were consolidated at the end of April and are available on the Federal Government's DataSUS platform. They demonstrate an improvement in the state's immunization scenario. On the other hand, they indicate that there is still a long way to go to reach the vaccination target of 95%, recommended by the Ministry of Health.
For Débora Lira, an infectious disease specialist at the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD), the overall increase in vaccination coverage, which also occurred nationwide, represents an optimistic scenario. According to the professional, the improvement can be explained by the efforts of health agents and civil society, as well as the strengthening of public policies, in encouraging vaccination campaigns, the dissemination of reliable information and in the accessibility of vaccines themselves.
“What may explain this increase are the campaigns to encourage multi-vaccination, launched by governments at all three levels, such as D-Days. In addition, the fight against misinformation, since, unfortunately, in recent years, there has been a spread of false information about some vaccines, especially against Covid, and this ends up influencing the vaccination uptake of vaccines in the basic schedule”, analyzes Débora.
The infectious disease specialist also highlights the importance of facilitating access to vaccines through strategies that bring vaccination centers closer to the population. One example of this is the extra points set up by city governments in shopping malls and other areas with high levels of foot traffic. Added to this is the greater supply of vaccines available in the public health system.
One of the highlights in the context of the percentage increase in vaccination coverage was immunization against yellow fever. For this vaccine, there was a percentage increase of more than 100% in RN, jumping from 22,48% in 2022 to 54,33% in 2023. Instituted in the vaccination calendar in 2020, the vaccine has been recommended nationally since then. The increase in immunization against polio, chickenpox and triple viral also stands out in the period.
Even with optimistic data, there are still points of attention for reaching the vaccination target and for vaccines that showed a decrease in adherence. Of the 14 types of vaccines that registered an increase, none reached the 95% recommended by the Ministry of Health last year.
“We cannot neglect to encourage, promote campaigns and provide true information, based on science, that the vaccine is indeed safe, should be applied to the populations for which it is recommended and is a very important public health tool,” he emphasizes.
Dengue vaccination
In 2024, the dengue vaccine became available throughout the country. By the end of April, 27,662 doses had been administered out of the 45,000 received in municipalities in Rio Grande do Norte, according to the Rio Grande do Norte Public Health Department (Sesap). In percentage terms, this represents the use of approximately 61% of the available doses.
Given the still low demand, municipalities have been adopting different strategies to attract the public. Natal, for example, expanded the availability of the vaccine to all basic health units in the municipality and temporarily expanded the vaccination age range to avoid wasting doses, following the recommendation of the Ministry of Health.
With the majority of the population still exposed to dengue fever, infectologist Débora Lira reinforces the need to adopt precautions to avoid the accumulation of stagnant water, the use of repellents and protection against bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector of arboviruses.
“The vaccine has only just begun to be administered to a restricted population and we are still on the first dose. The initial amount was small, but it will gradually increase throughout this year and next. Therefore, it is important to reinforce vaccination so that in the future we can have this vaccine’s effectiveness as a weapon of protection against dengue fever,” reinforces the infectious disease specialist.
About ISD
The Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) is a Social Organization linked to the Ministry of Education (MEC) and includes the Edmond and Lily Safra International Neuroscience Institute and the Anita Garibaldi Center for Health Education and Research, both in Macaíba. ISD's mission is to promote education for life, forming citizens through integrated teaching, research and extension actions, in addition to contributing to a fairer and more humane transformation of Brazilian social reality.
