11 states report vaccine shortages; see what they are and what the government says

In other places there is a risk of shortages in the coming weeks; The problem had already been highlighted by the National Confederation of Municipalities in September

BRASÍLIA- At least 11 states in the country report the lack of some type of Vaccineaccording to a survey carried out by Estadao between November 11th and 18th. State health departments report shortages of several immunization agents, including those intended to prevent COVID-19.

In a statement the Ministry of Health claims that “there is no shortage of vaccines”. The ministry says it “has faced temporary challenges in the distribution of some vaccines due to supplier issues and limited global production” and points to possible replacements.

The report consulted the federation’s 27 units to ask about shortages of immunizers, missing vaccine types and damage to vaccination coverage. Of these, 16 responded. Eleven (AL, MG, MS, MT, PB, PE, PI, RS, SC, SE and TO) reported problems and, in six (PB, PE, MG, MS, MT, TO), the records report that the lack of doses has hindered vaccination coverage.

According to the secretariats of state, the immunizers with some irregularities in the offer are: covid-19, chickenpox (chickenpox), triple viral (measles, mumps and rubella), tetraviral (measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox), yellow fever, DTP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), dTpa (acellular version of the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine), HPV (which protects girls from cervical cancer and boys from penile cancer)ACWY meningococcal (against types A, C, W and Y of meningitis), hepatitis A, hepatitis B and rabies. See the situation in each location below.

• Alagoas

He pointed to a shortage of vaccines against chickenpox, yellow fever, DTP and covid-19 (adults).

• Mato Grosso

There is a lack of vaccinations against chickenpox, yellow fever and the MMR vaccine. The State specified that 160 thousand doses would be enough to normalize supplies.

• Mato Grosso do Sul

There is a lack of vaccines against chickenpox and yellow fever. The secretariat estimates that 120,000 doses would be needed to meet demand.

• Minas Gerais

He highlighted the lack of four types of vaccines: chickenpox, MMR, DTP and Covid-19.

• Paraíba

Paraíba said it has problems supplying chickenpox vaccines, which have not been delivered since July; DTP; dTpa and yellow fever. The state estimates that about 60,000 doses would be needed to normalize the situation.

• Pernambuco

The state government has indicated that there is a lack of chickenpox vaccine and that there is a “partial shortage” of doses of meningococcal ACWY, HPV, yellow fever and rabies.

• Piauí

Piauí lacks four types of vaccines: chickenpox, covid-19, yellow fever and DTP.

• Rio Grande do Sul

There are no doses of the chickenpox vaccine.

• Santa Catarina

Four types of vaccines are missing: chickenpox, yellow fever, DTP and HPV.

• Sergipe

The state highlighted the lack of chickenpox vaccine and said doses of XBB 1.5, an updated vaccine against Covid-19, were made available in a reduced form by the ministry. To normalize the stock, 40 thousand doses of anti-covid-19 vaccine would be needed.

• Tocantins

He reported missing doses of chickenpox and yellow fever.

Low stocks

Some states have indicated they have not run out of vaccines, but there is a risk of shortages in the coming weeks. In Paraná, in addition to the chickenpox vaccine, supplies of the yellow fever vaccine are low. The estimate is that 50,000 doses of chickenpox and 250,000 of yellow fever will be needed to normalize supplies.

In Rio de Janeiro, supplies of the updated vaccine against covid-19 (XBB 1.5) and immunizers against hepatitis A and hepatitis B are reduced.

Sao Paulo specified that there is no shortage of vaccines in the state, but has requested 230 thousand doses of tetraviral vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox) and 600 thousand doses of yellow fever vaccine, but has not yet received Esso.

Municipalities have already reported problems

In September, a survey by the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM) carried out between 2 and 11 showed that 64.7% of the 2,415 municipalities interviewed reported a lack of vaccines. At the time, the Ministry of Health acknowledged the shortage and blamed the problem on production, logistics and demand. The ministry also said it is attempting alternative forms of acquisition with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

In a statement, the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass) specified that it does not monitor stocks of immunizing agents. The entity also stated that disinformation campaigns regarding the Covid-19 vaccine have had a negative impact on the immunization program and that with the emergence of new variants, with the need to incorporate new vaccines, supplies they ended up not being fully used.

“It is necessary to improve computerized systems for monitoring stocks and use of immunobiologicals, review the processes and acquisition contracts, providing for the scheduling of the delivery of new batches, accelerate the analysis processes both upon receipt of vaccines and strengthen the structure national production of immunobiologicals”, he said.

THE Estadao He contacted the National Council of Municipal Health Secretariats (Conasems), but received no response. The report also contacted the Brazilian Association of Vaccination Clinics (ABCVAC) to inquire about the supply of immunizing agents in the private network, but the entity did not respond.

What does the Ministry of Health say?

• “The current government inherited from the previous administration the lack of some routine vaccines – such as BCG, hepatitis B, oral polio vaccine and triple viral – and millions of vaccines with a short shelf life. Most of the vaccines that expired in 2023 were purchased during the Bolsonaro government.”
• “As of January 5, 2023, 21.5 million vaccines were at risk of loss due to poor validity: 3.2 million doses of meningococcal C vaccine, 1.7 million doses of chickenpox vaccine, 5, 6 million doses of yellow fever vaccine and 11 million doses of chickenpox DTP vaccine.”
• “To ensure the immunization of the population, the new management has undertaken several actions, through international donations and in collaboration with states and municipalities, which have made it possible to use more than 12.3 million doses of vaccines that would otherwise have been lost. With In doing so, a waste of almost R$ 252 million was avoided.”
• “There is no shortage of vaccines. The Ministry of Health has faced temporary difficulties in distributing some vaccines due to problems with suppliers and limited global production. Therefore, there has been a reduction in sending the quantities requested by the States, while respecting them Vaccines such as Meningo C and DTP have been replaced by vaccines such as Meningo ACWY and Pentavalent. The distribution of DTP, DTPa and hepatitis A has been regularized in November. The supply of the HPV vaccine will still be normalized this year.
• “Regarding the supply of vaccines against Covid-19, a new shipment of 1.2 million doses was delivered to all states in the country in October this year. There is therefore no shortage of this vaccine , the States have received the doses and are responsible for distributing them to the municipalities. The Ministry of Health has also concluded an auction for the purchase of an additional 69 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, which will guarantee supply for up to two years with a saving of over 1 billion reals.
• “As for the rabies vaccine, the department distributed 85% of the states’ demand in November. The rest of the doses will be distributed when they are released by the health watchdog.”
• “For meningococcal C, yellow fever and chickenpox, shipments are expected to expand states’ supplies in early 2025, as well as for the triple viral vaccine and human hepatitis B immunoglobulin, currently replaced by the immunizer IGHB 1000UI.”
• “It is worth noting that the Ministry of Health distributes vaccine doses to states, which, in turn, are responsible for transmitting them to municipalities.”

Layla Shasta contributed

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.