Vaccination coverage is very low in Alto Paraná, there are cases that do not even reach 50%.
Members of the Expanded Immunization Program expressed their concern about the almost non-existent response from citizens to the vaccination plans promoted in public health services. With only a few months to go until the end of the year, there are vaccines that have not reached 50% coverage and there is also a refusal in schools to vaccinate against the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Sergio Cetrini, head of the regional PAI, explained that at this time of year they should already have 60 to 65% coverage for all vaccines in the regular program of the Ministry of Health, but they barely reached 31%. In fact, during a tour of the vaccination centers in the main hospitals, it could be seen that they were empty or that patients were sporadically arriving to be immunized.
“The Winter 2024 campaign ended in July and we have not reached 100% coverage. We still have about 9 thousand doses of influenza vaccines that are available to citizens in all hospitals in Alto Paraná. All vaccines are effective and free, we ask the population to get immunized to prevent diseases,” explained the head of the regional PAI.
BIOLOGICALS AGAINST HPV AND MEASLES
Human papillomavirus vaccines are also not reaching the number of children and adolescents for which they are intended, although the head of the PAI did not want to talk about a refusal by parents to have their children vaccinated. He mentioned that there is a lack of knowledge about the scope of prevention achieved by each dose. In girls and adolescents, it greatly helps in preventing cervical cancer, which is the second cause of death in women, after breast cancer.
“HPV vaccines have been available since 2013 and since August of this year they have also been administered to boys born in 2014. We are visiting schools and colleges and we have found a response, but it is not ideal. We hope for greater support from parents and teachers,” Cetrini insisted.
Regarding immunization against measles, the Ministry of Health has the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) dose. The PAI reported that coverage reached 36% when it should be just over 60%. The data is highly worrying, since in neighboring countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, there are positive cases of measles and children from 12 to 18 months are the ones who should be immunized to prevent the disease from reaching our country.
STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Concern about the low vaccination coverage forces the PAI to generate strategies to improve the numbers by the end of 2024. According to Mr. Cetrini, they will set up permanent posts, visit universities, churches, go house to house and carry out intensive campaigns in the main cities, appealing to the help of other institutions, civil organizations and students of health careers to promote awareness throughout the population.
“In the case of influenza vaccines, we still have them available and we continue to see people with serious respiratory symptoms every day, mainly children, who go to hospitals. There are enough vaccines, we want everyone to comply with the regular program, even more so because various types of vaccines for children and adults are available in all services in Alto Paraná,” Cetrini insisted.
