Published 03/27/2024 19:14
The first priority group to receive the vaccine is made up of children aged 6 months to less than 6 years (5 years 11 months and 29 days); health workers from public and private services, at different levels of complexity; pregnant women; postpartum women; primary and higher education teachers; Indian people; homeless people; armed forces professionals; people with chronic non-communicable diseases and other special clinical conditions regardless of age; people with permanent disabilities; truck drivers; public road transport workers for urban and long-distance passengers; port workers; population deprived of liberty and employees of the penitentiary system; and seniors over 60 years old. People outside these priority groups defined by the Ministry of Health will not be vaccinated.
Vaccination is now available at all health centers in the city, which are open from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 4pm. This year, D-Day of the flu vaccination campaign will be on Saturday (13).
The importance of vaccination
According to the Municipal Health Department, it is important that the entire target audience gets vaccinated, even those who have already been vaccinated on another occasion, as the vaccine used undergoes changes in its composition over the years, depending on the epidemiological scenario. Therefore, the Municipal Immunization Program (PMI) seeks to develop work in partnership with Primary Care; Comprehensive Health Care Program for Women, Children and Adolescents; Elderly Health; Occupational Health and, in this effort, achieve adequate vaccination coverage to protect the vulnerable population.
This year, the flu vaccine to be administered during the vaccination campaign is the trivalent one. It protects against three different strains of the virus, responsible for most cases today: Influenza A (H1N1), Influenza A (H3N2) and Influenza B. The flu vaccine can be administered together with other vaccines on the national immunization calendar, such as that of covid-19, without the need for a break between them. The reaction to the flu vaccine is uncommon and, when it occurs, the symptoms are mild and disappear quickly. This is the case of pain at the application site, low fever, muscle pain and malaise. They normally disappear after 48 hours of application.
The flu vaccine is contraindicated for people with allergies to its components, especially egg protein. People with neurological diseases and Guillain-Barré syndrome should consult a doctor before taking the vaccine and follow the instructions. For people who have recently had a fever, it is recommended to postpone vaccination until their health status improves.
