by The Health Secretariat (SES) received the Operational Technical Report from the 2023 influenza campaign. In the document, prepared by the Ministry of Health, the preliminary target audience of the campaign is 4.7 million people in Rio Grande do Sul. The Ministry of Health will carry out the 25th National Vaccination Campaign against Influenza, in period from April 10th to May 31st of this year.
You priority groups of the campaign are made up of children from six months to under six years of age, health workers, pregnant women, postpartum women, teachers of basic and higher education, indigenous peoples, elderly people over 60 years of age, professionals from the security and rescue forces, armed forces professionals, people with chronic noncommunicable diseases and other special medical conditions, and people with permanent disabilities.
Truck drivers, public road transport workers for urban and long-haul passengers, dock workers, population deprived of liberty, employees of the liberty deprivation system, adolescents and young people aged 12 to 21 years old under socio-educational measures also have priority in vaccination.
– Vaccination against influenza is one of the preventive measures to protect against the disease, its complications and deaths, in addition to contributing to the reduction of viral circulation in the population, especially in individuals who have risk factors or conditions – explains the director of the State Center for Health Surveillance (Cevs), Tani Ranieri.
The campaign’s goal is vaccinate at least 90% of children, pregnant women, postpartum women, the elderly, indigenous peoples, teachers and health workers.
Estimated preliminary target audience in Rio Grande do Sul
- Children from six months to under two years of age – 186,630
- Children from two years old to under six years old – 567,013
- Pregnant women – 93,315
- Mothers – 15,339
- Seniors aged 60 and over – 2,219,023
- Health workers – 361.21
- Indigenous – 34,807
- People with non-communicable chronic diseases and other special medical conditions – 665,072
- Adolescents in socio-educational measures – 1,249
- Population deprived of liberty – 33,699
- Employees of the deprivation of liberty system – 6,745
- Teachers – 153,385
- Security and rescue forces – 28,178
- Armed Forces – 38,899
- People with disabilities – 488,941
- Truck Drivers – 128,564
- Public road transport workers for urban and long-distance passengers – 29,034
- Port workers – 4,051
- Total: 4,693,944
Influenza
Influenza is an acute viral infection that affects the respiratory system, highly transmissible, globally distributed and with a tendency to spread easily in seasonal epidemics, and may also cause pandemics.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cases of influenza vary from mild to severe and can lead to death. It is an acute respiratory infection, caused by types A, B, C and D, with viruses A and B responsible for seasonal epidemics. In addition, the influenza A virus is specifically associated with pandemic events, such as the one that occurred in 2009.
Generally, the incubation period for the influenza virus is two days. The infection can be asymptomatic or trigger severe symptoms. Severe conditions occur more frequently in individuals who have risk factors or conditions for the complications of the infection, infants in the first year of life, children from six months to less than six years of age, pregnant women, the elderly aged 60 years or over and people with non-communicable chronic diseases and other special medical conditions.
Transmission occurs through respiratory droplets produced by coughing, sneezing or talking from an infected person to a susceptible person. The flu syndrome is characterized by the sudden onset of fever, headache, muscle aches (myalgia), cough, sore throat and fatigue.
*With information from the State Government of Rio Grande do Sul
