The justification is to align the vaccination routine with what is recommended by international organizations and reduce the circulation of the virus
OR Ministry of Health wants to replace the droplet used in the vaccine booster polio to a fully injectable scheme. The folder will drive the topic at a meeting of the Immunization Technical Advisory Board in July. Currently, the polio vaccine program already uses three injectable doses and only booster is done with droplets. The justification is to align the Brazilian vaccination routine with what is recommended by international organizations and to reduce the circulation of the virus.
The switch to the total injectable scheme was already underway in a phased manner and, according to sources, the portfolio intends to implement the full-fledged change from next year. Even if oral doses are replaced, ministry members guarantee that the “Zé dropinha” mascot will continue to be the symbol of the National Immunization Program.
The folder expanded the character’s participation in events to strengthen him as a symbol of all vaccination campaigns carried out by the folder. The Ministry of Health’s intention to replace the droplets had been anticipated since Folha de S. Paulo and confirmed by Stadium.
The opinion is that droplet extinction is a consistent scientific recommendation and would mean progress towards stopping the circulation of the virus in the country. This is because, while the injectable version uses the inactivated virus, the droplets use an attenuated version of the virus, which ends up back into the environment via children’s feces. Currently, the polio vaccination schedule is administered at two, four and six months of age through an injection and then reinforced at 15 months and 4 years with oral doses.
Despite the evolving trend, droplet suppression is under consideration. Although some specialists consider the transition to be natural, some point to the possibility that the use of injectable doses could further reduce vaccination coverage.
Vaccination coverage against the disease was around 77.1% last year, far from the 95% target. Another major factor is the difficulty of finding a sufficient number of injectable doses on the market. Health Ministry members say, however, that this would not be an obstacle as negotiations would start in a timely manner.
Experts point out that although there is a recommendation from international organizations for the transition, there is a caveat that the change should be made with caution, even considering current coverage rates. “The withdrawal of oral polio use is still a controversial topic that divides opinion. WHO itself understands that countries need to be very careful in suspending oral droplet use, especially in places where oral coverage with injectable vaccine is not good, which is our case. In the first year of life we have only 70% of children with three doses. There is a risk of further reducing this vaccination coverage. On the other hand, continuing to use oral polio continues to put live viruses in the environment and put them at risk of mutation and even cause paralysis. It is a controversial topic, which divides the opinion of specialists and the scenario must be thoroughly debated in a country as diverse as ours, with as many realities of vaccination coverage like ours”, reflects Renato Kfouri, vice-president of the Brazilian Society of Immunization and member of the CTAI.
In a note, the Ministry of Health reported that the vaccination strategies adopted in Brazil, as well as the immunizers indicated for each public, take into account technological progress in the sector and new scientific evidence, again discussed within the Technical Advisory Commission for vaccinations (CTAI). “Replacement of the oral polio vaccine with a more improved version of the vaccine is expected to take place gradually starting next year and subject to evaluation by the CTAI.”
Source: Terra
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