The Municipal Health Department of Rio de Janeiro released, as of this Thursday (26), the ACWY antimeningococcal vaccine for the city’s health professionals. The measure aims to take advantage of the remaining 11,000 doses of the vaccine that are scheduled to expire at the end of January 2025. 
The ACWY meningococcal vaccine, which protects against four serotypes of bacterial meningococcal disease (A, C, W and Y), is normally administered in a single dose to children and adolescents aged 11 to 14 years. People living with HIV and transplant recipients must also take a dose of the vaccine.
According to the municipal secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz, the ACWY antimeningococcal vaccine is being released to all health professionals, exceptionally, because there are 11 thousand doses scheduled to expire in January. “This is a vaccine that is very difficult to access, so the time to vaccinate is now. This is the great opportunity to achieve such protection”, he explained.
Meningitis is an inflammatory process of the meninges, which are the membranes that surround the brain. Infectious agents include viruses, fungi, bacteria and other infectious agents. The vaccine is one of the ways to prevent the disease. The main symptoms of meningitis are fever, headache, vomiting, stiff neck, bleeding under the skin and seizures. The disease is serious and progresses quickly. When noticing any of these signs, the person should seek an emergency room.
Vaccination is available while supplies of specific doses last in the 239 Primary Care units, from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5pm.
