The Ministry of Health (MS) announced, last Wednesday (27), that 19 municipalities in Rio Grande do Norte should receive doses of the dengue vaccine. The locations are part of a list of 154 new cities covered by the vaccine. The forecast is that next week, the doses distributed will begin to be used, depending on the relocation process specific to each location.
According to the Ministry of Health, the vaccine is intended for people aged 10 to 14, the population that accounts for the highest proportion of hospitalizations due to the disease. The vaccination schedule consists of two doses with an interval of three months between them.
There are 668 thousand doses close to expiration date, scheduled for April 30: 523 thousand in June; and 84 thousand in July. During an interview with journalists, last Wednesday, the director of the Department of the National Immunization Program (DPNI), Eder Gatti, explained the scheme for expanding the number of municipalities covered.
“We cannot let these doses expire. Faced with this, the Ministry came up with a solution: redistribute, within the federated units, that is, within the states, to municipalities that have not yet been covered,” he said.
According to the Ministry of Health, the relocation of doses close to expiration to municipalities within the states themselves will be detailed in a technical note. Mato Grosso do Sul will not be part of the redistribution, as all municipalities in the state were initially included. This is also the case in the Federal District – the federative unit that houses the federal capital does not have municipalities. Amapá was selected to receive the remaining doses from these federative units, considering the state’s epidemiological situation.
Sought by the TRIBUNA DO NORTE report, the Public Health Secretariat of RN (Sesap) informed, this Thursday, that it is awaiting the technical note from the Ministry of Health.
More doses
The ministry received a new shipment of doses against the disease. In total, 930 thousand doses will be distributed to the 521 municipalities initially selected and to the 154 now covered by the expansion.
“We will send part of these doses to replace those that were relocated in municipalities initially covered. This way, we will guarantee the continuity of vaccination in places where the dose is now due and will be redistributed. We will also guarantee doses for those municipalities that are vaccinating well, so that they can continue the vaccination strategy”, said Eder Gatti.
The ministry reinforces that vaccines are an important instrument to stop the spread of dengue in the country. However, given the limited supply of doses from the manufacturer, the focus remains on eliminating mosquito breeding sites.
Epidemiological scenario
According to the Ministry of Health, as of last Wednesday (27), Brazil recorded 2.3 million probable cases of dengue and 831 deaths. 407 municipal and 11 state emergency decrees were published due to the disease.
The lethality of death over the total number of probable cases is 0.04% between Epidemiological Weeks 1 to 12 of this year, compared to 0.07% in the same period in 2023. As for the lethality of death over the total number of serious cases, the percentage it is 3.99% compared to 5.28% in the same period last year. The indices, therefore, indicate a reduction in the fatality rate due to the disease.
Check the list of benefited locations in RN:
Christmas
Parnamirim
Extreme
São Gonçalo do Amarante
Macaíba
Mossoró
Baraúna
Apodi
Upanema
Tibau
Governor Dix-Sept Rosado
Felipe Guerra
Caraúbas
Serra do Mel
White sand
Targino Messiah
Thick
Janduis
Augusto Severo
