In the return of students to classrooms it is important that those responsible will check if the vaccination card is up to date. “Every time you have a large group of children or adolescents living, there is an increase in risk of disease transmission. So, that’s why vaccinating means protecting yourself from that disease and also protecting the community,” explains the director of society Brazilian Immunizations (SBIM), Isabella Balallai.
Currently, the Unified Health System (SUS) offers 16 vaccines for children and adolescents who protect against more than 20 diseases, in addition to dengue vaccines, which is applied in regions of the country with greater risk of contagion, against influenzawhich has an annual campaign, and some special immunizers for specific audiences. Some of them have two or three doses scheme, others require reinforcement dose some time after the initial scheme for the protection to remain high. That is: effective protection depends on many trips to the health post and not just for babies.
For the immunologist and medical manager of Vaccines at Pharmacist GSK, Ana Medina, this shows how Brazil’s vaccination calendar is robust, but can confuse those responsible. Therefore, moments of preparation for new cycles, such as returning to school, are a good opportunity to check the vaccination portfolio.
“We stay in a vacation, in that more familiar environment, with less contagion possibility and then moves to that school environment that, as safe, has agglomeration, is often a closed room, with air conditioning and all this It favors transmission of infectious diseases in general. And we still have the sharing of objects: the small child takes the toy, puts in the mouth, another child takes and puts in the mouth, a teenager lends a lipstick, a glass. They come back with that longing right? So they want to hug, kiss, “warns the expert.
Sbim’s director, Isabella Ballalai, highlights some infectious diseases that may have serious outcomes in children, but are prevenable by vaccines: “30% of those infected with pneumococcal meningitis die and 20% of those who have meningococcal meningitis die. One in five will have severe sequela as amputation of the members, among others, for the rest of his life. ” These diseases are caused by pneumococcus and meningococcal bacteria, but SUS offers the PNEUMO-10, meningo C and Meningo Acwy vaccines that protect against the most prevalent serotypes.
It also cites pertussis, a bacterium -caused respiratory infection, which mainly affects babies and has caused outbreaks in various places. In 2024, Brazil recorded more than 6,700 cases of the disease, 31 times more than in 2023, and 28 deaths. The penta vaccine, applied to children, protects against pertussis and also against diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B and infections by Haemophilus influenzae Bbut it is essential that pregnant women receive the immunizer DTPA in all pregnancies, so that the baby is born with antibodies.
Isabela remembers Covid-19: “The pandemic is in a much better situation, but we still have many cases and many deaths. And the second group that dies the most covid-19 in Brazil is children under 1 year old who are not vaccinated “. Since last year, the Covid-19 vaccine has been part of SUS’s basic calendar and all 6-month-old children under 5 should receive two or three doses, depending on the immunizer. But according to the Ministry of Health’s vaccination coverage panel, only 32.4% of the target audience of up to 4 years took at least two doses.
The director of SBIM also points out that the vaccination of children and adolescents helps to prevent the illness of the general population, because they are major vectors of infectious agents: “The literature shows that the first wave of cases of cases of influenza In seasonality occurs among children. So, in the collective environment like school, outbreaks are more than common: these children are infected, getting sick and transmitting influenza“. It is also for this reason that children from six months to children under 6 should be immunized in annual campaigns. Children and adolescents are also the largest transmitters of pneumococci and meningococci.
For this transmission chain to be interrupted, it recommends that students with symptoms such as fever, cough and runny nose to stay at home while they are sick and at least 24 hours after symptoms cease. Another essential measure is the vaccination of school professionals, so that they do not contaminate themselves and do not transmit disease to students.
Immunologist Ana Medina adds that schools need to be allied of vaccination, promoting health education, but points out: “We have to look for correct sources of information. We have the website Ministry of Healthwith a number of appropriate information on vaccination portfolio update, has the website of the Brazilian Society of Immunizationswhich even has a part focused on the lay public talking about different diseases. Education with reliable sources: this is the first point. “
It also stresses that those responsible should not be afraid to vaccinate their children, because all immunizers authorized for use in the public or private network undergo strict security tests: “and security studies never stop. After the vaccine is released in Market, we have what it calls phase 4 study, which are pharmacovigilance studies. This safety is accompanied by the use of the vaccine. At the application site, a swelling, a reddening. This is expected of most vaccines, but they are acceptable reactions, especially when we compare with the severity of the diseases they prevent. “
