Houve impacto da pandemia de COVID-19 na cobertura vacinal contra poliomielite?

Abstract

Poliomyelitis is a vaccine-preventable disease, popularly known as infantile paralysis. It is caused by a virus that primarily infects children but can also affect adults. It is highly contagious and causes flaccid paralysis, with rapid symptom progression in about 1% of individuals infected by the poliovirus. The aim of this study was to identify whether the COVID-19 pandemic impacted vaccination coverage against poliomyelitis or if there was already a downward trend in coverage prior to the pandemic. This is a descriptive ecological study, based on a retrospective survey of aggregated data regarding poliomyelitis vaccination coverage in Brazil, extracted from the DATASUS System of the Ministry of Health, covering the period from January 2018 to December 2022. Information was collected on poliomyelitis vaccination in the 26 states of Brazil and in the Federal District. During the analyzed period, there was a sharp decline in national coverage rates, from 89.5% to 79.8%. The coverage rate among 4-year-old children showed a slight change, from 63.6% to 67.6%, with a standard deviation of 5.8% and an average of 64.4%. The Northern region presented the lowest overall coverage rate, ranging from 77.1% to 65.7%, with an average of 71.2% during the period; for 4-year-old children, the rate was 41.0% in 2018 and 46.4% in 2021, with an average of 49.5% and a standard deviation of 6.8%. It is concluded that several associated factors contributed to the decline in vaccination coverage, not only the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, fake news, the anti-vaccine movement, vaccine hesitancy, social distancing, lockdowns, and the fear of contracting the disease (COVID), particularly in healthcare settings, contributed to worsening the decline in vaccination rates.