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From this Tuesday, July 1, comes into force throughout the state of Acre an important change in vaccination against meningitis applied in 12-month-old children. The Acre State Department of Health (Sesacre) has announced that the meningococcal vaccine C will be replaced by the most complete version: Meningococcal Acwy.
From this Tuesday, July 1, comes into force throughout the state of Acre an important change in vaccination against meningitis applied in 12-month-old children. / Photo: Reproduction
The new vaccine represents a significant advance in the protection of the little ones, expanding the fight against meningococcal meningitis. While the previous version covered only the Bacteria Cégroup C Neisseria Meningitidis, the Acwy vaccine offers additional defense against serogroups A, W and Y types that have caused outbreaks in some regions of Brazil in recent years.
The substitution follows the Ministry of Health guidelines, which aims to strengthen the prevention of serious forms of the disease in young children, one of the most vulnerable groups. According to Sesacre’s technical team, immunization is “an act of love” that protects lives in the face of an aggressively evolving disease and leaves serious sequelae or even leads to death.
The vaccine scheme for babies remains unchanged in the first months of life: the doses of meningococcal vaccine C continue to be applied at 3 and 5 months of age. The change is focused on the reinforcement dose, which occurs at 12 months. From now on, this application will be made with the Acwy vaccine, available for free in the Basic Health Units.
Children who have lost the period of vaccination at 12 months can still be immunized. The reinforcement can be applied up to the age of 4 years, 11 months and 29 days. For this, it is necessary to take the vaccination book to the nearest health unit.
Meningococcal meningitis is a severe infection of the membranes that line the brain and spinal cord. The rapid progression of the disease and its possible sequelae such as deafness, neurological compromises and amputations make vaccination an essential measure of public health.
The Acwy vaccine is already widely used in countries in Europe and the United States, being considered an effective strategy to contain outbreaks and expand population protection. Given the drop in vaccination coverage rates in Brazil, experts warn of the importance of maintaining the children’s vaccination booklet up to date.
