Vaccination against flu begins this Monday (10); see who can get immunized

The national flu vaccination campaign, by the Ministry of Health, starts this Monday (10).

Immunization against the influenza virus already takes place in at least ten states: Roraima, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Minas Gerais, Maranhão, Paraíba, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Piauí and Pará. Another seven states and the Federal District will start the campaign this Monday (10), including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Sergipe, Pernambuco, Santa Catarina, and Mato Grosso.

The vaccine is made available free of charge by the Unified Health System (SUS) to priority groups, defined by the folder according to the risk of worsening the disease. The goal is to vaccinate at least 90% of each of the priority groups. See who can get vaccinated:

• People over 60 years old;
• adolescents in socio-educational measures;
• truckers and truckers;
• children from 6 months to under 6 years of age (5 years, 11 months and 29 days);
• Armed, Security and Rescue Forces;
• pregnant and puerperal women;
• disabled people;
• people with comorbidities;
• population deprived of liberty;
• indigenous, riverside and quilombola peoples;
• teachers and professors;
• public transport professionals;
• port professionals;
• professionals from the Deprivation of Liberty System;
• health professionals.

The immunizers used in the SUS are trivalent, produced by the Butantan Institute and distributed to the entire public health network.

The composition of the vaccine changes each year, according to the strains of the virus that are most circulating at the moment, informed in the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). Because the influenza virus is constantly changing, it’s important to get an up-to-date vaccine every year to maintain protection.

For 2023, in accordance with WHO guidelines, the vaccine will be composed of the following strains: Influenza A/Sydney/5/2021 (H1N1) pdm09; Influenza A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2); and Influenza B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage).

According to the Butantan Institute, 42 million doses have already been sent to the federal government. Another 38 million are planned until April 28, totaling 80 million units of the vaccine.

Vaccination is intended for higher risk groups, in a single dose schedule. The goal is to reduce complications, hospitalizations and mortality associated with the flu. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), seasonal influenza virus epidemics result in about 3 to 5 million severe cases and up to 650,000 deaths worldwide each year.

Persons with febrile illnesses and Covid-19 cannot receive the immunization – it is recommended to wait for improvement to be vaccinated. In individuals with a history of severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to egg, the vaccine should be administered under medical supervision and in an environment suitable for treating allergic manifestations. Immunizer is contraindicated for children under 6 months of age and people who have had anaphylaxis after taking the vaccine.

(With information from Bárbara Brambila and Laura Slobodeicov)