Brazil to administer 77.9 million shots against influenza

Brazil is stocked with 77.9 million doses against the latest strains of influenza, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said Monday (Apr. 5) during an interview on A Voz do Brasil, broadcast by the country’s public radio network.

The government, the minister said, plans to immunize 90 percent of the target public at approximately 38 thousand basic care stations qualified to vaccinate people across the country. Investment in the immunization—in accordance with the latest guidelines from the World Health Organization—reached BRL 1.2 billion.

“We know we will reach this goal. First because we have the doses, second because we have the capacity to administer them, and third because the Brazilian people have a solid vaccination culture,” Queiroga said.

Besides influenza, the ministry also seeks to expand the vaccination coverage for measles, which has 18.8 million Brazilians as its target public. The goal is to reach 95 percent of these, the minister pointed out. Thus far, the government has made available 12.9 million doses of vaccine against the disease.