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Para vaccine more than 800 000 people and reaches goal of the campaign against influenza
02/06/2011 18:07
The newsroom
Para News Agency
The Para reached the target of 80.75% of vaccination coverage against influenza. The elderly were most likely attended the vaccination.
Par? State has achieved the goal of the 13th vaccination campaign against influenza, with 80.75% of vaccination coverage, which represents 801,821 persons vaccinated. The announcement was made Thursday (2) the Secretary of State for Public Health, Helio Franco, who was accompanied by the State Immunization Coordinator, Jairo Athayde.
The campaign was held from April 25 to May 13 and had targeted the elderly over 60 years, pregnant women, children from 06 months to two years, and indigenous health workers. Apart from seasonal flu, the vaccine also protects against the influenza virus A (H1N1) that caused a worldwide pandemic in 2009 and, in the state, killing 30 people.
In Para vaccination has not been officially postponed, but the municipalities that had not yet achieved the goal could continue vaccinating its population, especially those who are in areas of difficult access.
Immunization may continue until June 10, when the Ministry of Health will close all the data and the campaign will be permanently closed. From this date, city managers can no longer feed the System of National Immunization Program (SI-PNI), which is done directly by each municipality through the Internet. The doses of vaccine shall be returned to the Ministry of Health
Best defense - Second Helio Franco, vaccination is still the best option to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza, which is not an ordinary disease like some people believe. "Complications of flu can lead to death," warned the secretary.
He said although a new vaccine to combat the three types of virus, there was no reported case of adverse reaction in Par?, which is quite positive.
The secretary noted that in addition to vaccination, people should keep hygiene habits, how to protect your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and avoid clusters that contribute to disease transmission.
Seniors - According to Helio Franco, the elderly population was more participatory in the campaign, the first group to reach the goal. "You could say that the elderly have already incorporated the culture of annual vaccination against influenza, which takes place 13 years ago in Brazil, and even longer waiting for date in April," he said.
The group that joined the campaign was less than that of pregnant women, which may have happened for fear of injection during pregnancy and overestimation of the population, which is being questioned by the State in the Ministry of Health
The coordinator Jairo Athayde said that "the success is due to the effort, commitment and dedication of each employee of the vaccination teams, the family that pointed the way the rooms of vaccination for their children, the elderly and pregnant women, and teams and local health managers, who, in a great effort and integration, optimized strategies for ensuring access to immunization against influenza in each of the localities of the state.