Brazil advances in children's health and leaves the list of countries with the fewest vaccinated children

This Monday (15), the World Health Organization (UN) together with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) issued a new global report which presents Brazil's prominence in the effective immunization of children.

The report presented a list of 20 countries that had a large number of children who did not receive any dose of DPT1, an immunizer that protects against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, and showed that Brazil is not in this ranking.

According to the document, in Brazil alone, the number of children who did not receive the vaccine dose fell from 687 thousand, registered in 2021, to 103 thousand in 2023.

The report also showed that from 846 thousand children who had not received DPT3, a dose popularly known as the pentavalent vaccine, in 2021, this number was reduced to 257 thousand in 2023.

Global ranking

In 2021, Brazil ranked 7th in the world ranking of countries with the most children not vaccinated against the disease. With advances in child health, in 2023, the country was removed from this list.

According to the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, some actions that were taken helped increase the number of children being vaccinated. “In February 2023, as soon as we took over management, we launched the National Vaccination Movement, a major pact to resume vaccination coverage”he explained when highlighting the character Zé Gotinha, who traveled around the country carrying the message that the vaccine saves lives.

_{Zé Gotinha Campaign (Photo: reproduction/Igor Evangelista/MS)}

Global scenario paralyzed

Even with Brazil's progress in vaccination, the world has not seen as many positive advances in favor of immunization. In 2023, childhood vaccination stagnated, reaching around 2.7 million children worldwide who were not vaccinated or had their immunization incomplete, compared to pre-pandemic, in 2019.

According to Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, the research demonstrates a trend where countries continue to vaccinate a number of children considered below what is expected.

The director highlights that for such action to have more effect, global work is needed that involves partners, governments and local leaders who invest as a priority in health care and provide assistance to community stakeholders.

Featured photo: child receiving immunization (Reproduction/Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil)