More than 3,200 vaccination posts are open today (30) in the 645 municipalities of the state of São Paulo for the vaccination campaign against influenza and measles. The aim is to vaccinate children from 6 months to 5 years of age and the elderly.
To reinforce the campaign, a flying station was set up by the city hall and the state government at Museu Catavento, in São Paulo. The museum usually receives many children, especially on Saturdays.
The goal of the government of São Paulo is to vaccinate 95% of children, an estimated population of 12.9 million people. In addition to the measles and flu vaccine, health posts will be prepared to update these children’s vaccination records.
Influenza and measles vaccines can be taken on the same day. Little Rebeca, 4 years old, daughter of Andrea Miranda, 38 years old, was taken by her mother to a post in the city of São Paulo to take both vaccines simultaneously. Smiling, Rebeca told the report of Brazil Agency who was brave to take the two immunizers. “I didn’t cry,” she said.
“She’s nervous. She arrived crying a lot. But at the time of the vaccine she was very calm and did not cry. She said it was funny and she was smiling and said she would tell everyone it was smooth,” said Andrea. “She got the measles and flu shots. It is for her development and protection. We have to always be careful and keep an eye on the card so that it looks good. We want the best for our children”, said Rebeca’s mother.
Andrea stressed that vaccines protect. “Lately they are saying that there is an outbreak of diseases and we have to be careful with our children”, she reinforced.
According to the Municipal Health Secretary of São Paulo, Luiz Carlos Zamarco, it is important that parents of children older than 6 months and younger than 2 years take their children to be vaccinated against measles. “The measles vaccine is the MMR. It protects against three diseases: measles, rubella and mumps. The child [dessa faixa etária] do not have a complete immune system. So with the vaccination, she will develop antibodies and she will not develop severe forms of respiratory disease,” she said.
“It is very important that children from 6 months to 5 years old can go to our UBSs [unidades Básica de Saúde] and update the vaccination record. There are 16 vaccines covering 20 diseases, but I want to make a special and important highlight: flu and measles. In 2019, we had 9 thousand cases of measles in Brazil and, in 2021, 9 thousand cases in the state of São Paulo alone. And in this year 2022 we have already identified a case of measles in the city of São Paulo. Measles is a disease that has a higher transmissibility than covid-19. So it is important for children aged 6 months to 5 years to update their vaccinations,” said Ricardo Nunes, mayor of São Paulo.
He highlighted that it is important that children also take the flu vaccine. “We have a very high number of cases of flu in children. We have an 85% occupancy of our ICUs (intensive care units) and children’s wards because of the flu,” he said.
Children who cannot be taken to a vaccination post this Saturday can take the flu and measles vaccine from Monday (2).
Seniors
In addition to children, the posts are open to administer the flu vaccine to the elderly and health professionals.
The vaccine against Influenza (flu) is trivalent and consists of the H1N1, strain B and H3N2 viruses, of the Darwin subtype, which caused the flu outbreak at the end of last year.
