Polio vaccine coverage in the Northeast region of Brazil in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Context: Poliomyelitis has been eliminated in Brazil since the 1990s, attributed to the success of vaccination campaigns in the country, with the last case recorded in 1989. However, low vaccination coverage is one of the warning factors for the return of circulation of the wild virus in the country and the permanent sequelae caused by the virus, thus requiring continuous monitoring in the territory. This study aimed to analyze the spatial distribution of polio vaccine coverage (VC) in the Northeast region of Brazil in 2020 regarding the goal of VC ≥ 95%. Methods: Public data on the CV Rate indicator were obtained from the National Immunization Program Information System on the DATASUS website. Results: Up to the time of extraction, the Northeast Region had a coverage of 71.8% below the target, with the lowest CV rate recorded in the state of Maranhão (60.1%) and the highest in Ceará (86.9 %). The State of Maranhão also presented a greater number of municipalities in a critical situation (23.5%), with vaccination coverage ≤ 50%. Spatial data show a trend of clustering of municipalities with high vaccination coverage in some states of the region, but it does not change the conclusion that in 2020 the population under one year old was in a situation of vulnerability regarding the reintroduction of the wild virus in most of the cases. municipalities in the states of this region and in other Brazilian states.