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Epidemiology

Brazil Commits to Polio Eradication as World Health Organization Declares Country Free of the Disease

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Brazilian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating polio from the country. In celebration of World Polio Day on October 24, the Ministry launched a nationwide awareness campaign to emphasize the importance of immunization, epidemiological surveillance, and laboratory testing in preventing the spread of the disease. This effort aims to reassure Brazilians that the country remains polio-free since the WHO declared it so in 1994. However, the global situation remains challenging, with polio still endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Key Takeaways:

  • Brazil recorded 25,183 confirmed cases of polio from 1968 to 1980, but vaccination efforts drastically reduced the occurrence of the disease.
  • The country has not seen a polio case since 1989, with the WHO declaring Brazil polio-free in 1994.
  • Despite this achievement, international efforts to eradicate the disease face challenges, with polio still endemic in two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  • All children under 5 years of age in Brazil should be vaccinated to prevent polio, as this is the only form of prevention.
  • Braliz, the country's national immunization program, has developed a new vaccination schedule, replacing two bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) booster doses with one dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) starting November 4.
  • The new schedule includes three doses of IPV administered at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, plus a booster dose at 15 months.
  • Ze Gotinha, a character created in the 1980s to promote polio vaccination, will continue to raise awareness about the prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases, despite the country no longer using oral polio vaccination.

Statistics:

  • Brazil recorded 25,183 confirmed polio cases from 1968 to 1980.
  • The country had 1,644 polio cases detected from 1980 to 1989.
  • Brazil has not seen a polio case since 1989.
  • The World Health Organization declared Brazil polio-free in 1994.
  • The new vaccination schedule includes three doses of IPV at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, plus a booster dose at 15 months.
  • Ze Gotinha received the iBest award in 2024 for being one of the best figures in the digital universe.

Sources:

  • Brazilian Ministry of Health news release (exact date not provided).
  • World Health Organization (WHO).
  • National Immunization Program (DPNI) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health.

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