Brazil sees vaccination coverage rise in 2022
A survey conducted by the Childhood Health Observatory reveals an uptick in the coverage of four vaccines in the National Immunization Program in 2022: BCG, Polio, DTP, and tetraviral. Published in the National Library of Medicine scientific journal, with data up to 2021, the study was updated on Monday (Sep. 4) by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).
The consistent decline in vaccination coverage since 2015 has raised concerns among health authorities and researchers who warn of the risk of resurgent diseases previously under control, such as polio. The most concerning example is the return of measles, which had been eliminated from the country in 2016 but resurfaced two years later due to declining vaccination rates.
BCG hits target
Researchers estimate that the BCG vaccine's coverage increased by 19.7 percentage points last year, reaching 99.5 percent. Administered at birth, this vaccine safeguards against severe tuberculosis and strives to reach 90 percent of newborns.
Similar progress was observed for the injectable polio vaccine, administered in three doses during the first year of life. However, the 19.7 percentage point increase fell short of achieving the 95 percent coverage goal, with the 2022 coverage rate at 85.3 percent.
The triple bacterial vaccine (DTP), offering protection against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, recommended during the first year of life, also improved by 9.1 percentage points. Yet, it did not reach the 95 percent target, settling at 85.5 percent.
Regarding the tetraviral vaccine, which guards against measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox, there was a modest increase of 3.5 percentage points, reaching 59.6 percent coverage, far below the desired 95 percent. It's worth noting that immunization against these diseases can also be achieved through the triple viral vaccine combined with a specific varicella vaccination for chickenpox prevention.
Own methodology
The Childhood Health Observatory developed its own methodology to calculate vaccination coverage and correlate this data with other epidemiological and socioeconomic information. This methodology has helped build a historical vaccination series in Brazil since 1996.
Researchers collected data from over 1.3 billion doses administered using the TabNET platform in the National Immunization Program Information System.
