Agevisa advises on the need to increase vaccination coverage against influenza in Rondônia

Balance released by the State Health Surveillance Agency (Agevisa), on Monday (3), shows that the range of vaccination coverage against influenza was 69.2 % of doses applied in Rondônia, well below that predicted by the Ministry of Health (MS), which is to immunize at least 90% of the priority public for vaccination. For this reason, the Agency guides the population to the importance of vaccination coverage in the State.

In 2021, the 23rd National Vaccination Campaign against Influenza, from April 12 to July 9. For the campaign, the state of Rondônia received 579,600 doses to be administered to people from priority groups and of these 401,034 were administered.

“When we analyzed the partial result of the campaign, considering the target of 90% of the population to be vaccinated, that is, 553,281 people, we identified that only 401,034 doses were administered, with a 69.2% vaccination coverage”, details the director general of Agevisa, Gilvander Gregório de Lima.

The campaign aims to reduce complications, hospitalizations and mortality resulting from infections by the influenza virus and minimize the effects of the disease, reducing symptoms , which can be confused with those of covid-19. “The campaign is annual and carried out between the months of April and July, when priority groups must be vaccinated. With vaccines left in the municipalities, from the second half of July onwards, the campaign is open to the entire population over six months of age”, explains the technical manager of epidemiology at Agevisa, Maria Arlete da Gama Baldez.

Agevisa’s recommendation is that municipalities that still have stock of the influenza/flu vaccine, to develop strategies that aim to improve the performance of vaccination in the population over six months of age .

“The Ministry of Health extended the closing of the campaign. It was defined that the deadline for recording the doses applied in the SI-PNI will be at 23:59 on January 31, 2022, on this date the data entry for registration of the doses applied will be closed. In this sense, we ask the municipalities to speed up the data entry process, as these data need to be carefully analyzed, revised, understood and, if necessary, corrected”, points out Arlete Baldez. “

She explains that even if the person is vaccinated this January, it is important that they vaccinate again in the next campaign, whose doses are scheduled to be sent in March. “If there is anticipation by the Ministry of Health, the states will be informed, but so far, the forecast is that the routine calendar will be maintained”, concludes the manager.

VACCINE COVERAGE

When analyzing the coverage of doses applied by municipalities, it is observed that 20 of the 52 municipalities in Rondônia, which corresponds to 38%, reached the goal of 90% or more. However, attention is drawn to the existence of 10 municipalities with coverage below 50% of doses applied, and two municipalities with no recorded information on doses applied in the panel
https://infoms.saude.gov.br/extensions/Influenza_2021/Influenza_2021.html

Nationally, the vaccination coverage target for each priority group is 90%. Based on this parameter and on the records of the information system, it is observed that in Rondônia 12 among the 52 municipalities (23%) reached the target of 90% or more for the group of children. For the group of puerperal women, 19 municipalities (37%) managed to reach the goal, as well as 13 (25%) in the group of pregnant women; in the indigenous group, there were 9 (17%) of the municipalities; in the elderly group, 7 (13%) of the municipalities and the group of health workers, 15 municipalities (29%) reached the goal of vaccinating this population.

PRIORITY GROUPS

Priority groups for influenza vaccination are considered children from six months to six years of age, the elderly, health professionals, teachers, public security professionals, indigenous people, pregnant women and postpartum women.