Acre no longer has flu vaccines and a new shipment should only arrive in October; understand

Last year, the Ministry of Health decided to bring forward the flu vaccination campaign in Acre.

Traditionally it is held throughout Brazil between the months of April and May. The anticipation was part of the microplanning strategy, carried out by the Ministry of Health in conjunction with states and municipalities.

According to the Ministry, with anticipation, the objective was to strengthen and expand access to vaccination, respecting regional diversities, in which the organization and operationalization consider the local reality, directing efforts to achieve vaccination coverage.

Months later, in November, the Ministry of Health began a new vaccination campaign in the states of the North region. The campaign would end in December, however, it was extended until February 2024.

With the end of the campaign, Acre ran out of vaccines against the disease. The coordinator of the National Immunization Program in Acre (PNI/AC), Renata Quiles, expects new shipments of vaccines to arrive only in October this year, with the arrival of a new vaccination campaign.

Renata is coordinator of the National Immunization Program in Acre/Photo: Juan Diaz/ContilNet

In a new determination, in 2023, the Ministry of Health adopted the Influenza Vaccination Campaign by Regions considering the seasonality of each region of Brazil.

For the North Region, considering the period of humidity and Amazonian winter from December to March, where the climate favors greater circulation of respiratory viruses, including Influenza. Therefore, in the 2nd semester of each year, the Northern Influenza Vaccination Campaign scheduled for September/October will take place.

We had a stock in January and February and what was available in that stock was used and the remaining doses were collected by the Ministry of Health. She was available on the campaign trail. It turns out that the population did not look for it at the right time.

Vaccines applied

In total, 317,504 people, who are part of the priority groups, should be vaccinated in 2023, according to the Acre State Department of Health (Sesacre). The vaccine aims to reduce complications, hospitalizations and mortality resulting from influenza virus infections in the target population for vaccination.

Data from the influenza vaccination campaign in Acre in 2023/Photo: Sesacre

The vaccine used is trivalent, that is, it presents three types of virus strains in combination, protecting against the main viruses circulating in Brazil.

Regarding vaccination coverage National Influenza Vaccination Campaign – 2023 in children aged 6 months to under 6 years of age, Sesacre’s goal was to apply 106069 doses. However, only 26 thousand were administered, representing just 24.55% of vaccination coverage.

The municipalities that stood out the most were: Senador Guiomard (64.73%), Tarauacá (45.99%) and Marechal Thaumaturgo (45.36%), yet the expected target of 90% was not reached in any of the 22 municipalities of State.

Influenza cases in 2024

To date, according to data from the Health Observatory in Acre, in 2024, 1,189 cases of flu syndrome have already been recorded.

Source: Acre Health Observatory

The highlight is the month of January, where of this total, 778 were registered in the first 31 days of the year.