More than 1,500 municipalities report a lack of vaccinesaccording to research released this Friday (13) by National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM). The survey shows that, in these locations, there is a lack of vaccines, especially for children. Among the main ones that are in short supply are vaccines against chickenpox, Covid-19 and meningococcal C.
The survey was carried out between the 2nd and 11th of September and involved the participation of 2,415 municipalities. Of these, 1,563 – equivalent to 64.7% of those who participated in the survey and around 28% of the total number of municipalities in Brazil – faced a lack of vaccines for at least 30 days.
The chickenpox vaccine is the one most in short supply according to the survey. It protects children aged 4 years from chickenpox – at this age the booster is applied. The vaccine is missing in 1,210 responding municipalities, with an average shortage of more than 90 days.
The lack of a vaccine against Covid-19 for children, it affects 770 municipalities that are, on average, 30 days without the vaccine. The Meningococcal C vaccine, which protects against serious and fatal infections, such as meningitishas been unavailable in 546 municipalities, on average, for around 90 days.
The following were also identified as lacking in municipalities: Tetraviral, which combats measles, mumps and rubella, in 447 municipalities; Hepatitis A, in 307 municipalities; and DTP, which combats diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, in 288 municipalities.
“We know that vaccines are purchased and are the responsibility of the federal government, it is up to the states to purchase the needles so that the vaccines can be administered. This reaches the municipalities and they apply the vaccines”, highlights the president of the CNM, Paulo Ziulkoski.
“That’s why we’re urging the Ministry of Health so that the necessary vaccines can be purchased immediately and the states can also make their contribution so that vaccination can be completed throughout Brazil. It is very important because in the last 30 days there has been a lack of vaccine in Brazil”, he says.
Location
According to the research, the state with the greatest lack of immunization agents is Santa Catarina128 city halls reported this problem, which corresponds to 83.7% of the municipalities in the federative unit. Next are Pernambuco, with 58 (80.6%); and Paraná, with 155 (78.7%).
Considering the regions of the country, the Southeast appears in first place with 595 municipalities facing a lack of immunizers, which corresponds to 68.5% of the municipalities in the region; the South, with 395 (65.1%); the Northeast, with 370 (65.1%); the Midwest, 136 (63%); and the North, with 67 (42.9%).
Ministry of Health
In a note, the Ministry of Health says that it maintains “regular shipments of vaccines to the states, which are responsible for supplying the municipalities”.
The ministry also states that there is no general lack of vaccines in Brazil. “The CNM survey raises specific questions for which the Ministry of Health adopts strategies to keep vaccinations up to date and protect the population. These actions are carried out in constant dialogue with the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass) and the National Council of Municipal Health Secretaries (Conasems)”, says the note.
According to the ministry, 65.9 million doses of the ten main vaccines cited in the survey, including Covid-19, were distributed, with 22.9 million doses applied to date.
Regarding the Varicella vaccine, at the end of 2023, according to the ministry, 2.7 million doses were purchased via the Revolving Fund of the Pan American Health Organization of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), with 150 thousand planned to be delivered by September. Regular procurement for 2024 is underway.
For Covid-19, according to the ministry, weekly delivery follows the storage capacity of the state cold chain, as this vaccine requires storage at very low temperatures. The Ministry of Health also says that it is finalizing the auction for the purchase of the most up-to-date XBB vaccine.
Regarding the supply of the vaccine against Meningo C, in regions where there is a shortage, the ministry’s guidance is to replace it with Meningo ACWY, which is equally effective, keeping the population protected.
