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On Tuesday (1st), in response to a supporter concerned about the safety of a possible immunization against covid-19, President Jair Bolsonaro said that no one can be forced to get vaccinated. In the video, the woman says that she is from the health field and says that “in less than 14 years, no one can put a vaccine on the market.”
The Secom (Special Secretariat for Social Communication) published on its social networks the phrase that Bolsonaro said, causing controversy, since the speech is considered by experts, such as the president of the SBIm (Brazilian Society of Immunizations) Isabella. Ballalai, discouraging for vaccination in general.
“Although it is out of the context of the conversation that took place, it is an anti-vaccine phrase. It is exactly what those who are against vaccines say,” explains Ballalai.
Vaccination is mandatory, yes
Returning to the context of covid-19, the speech, however, is contrary to law No. 13,979 / 20, proposed by the Executive itself and sanctioned by Bolsonaro. Called the “Coronavirus Law”, it says that, in the current pandemic situation, the authorities can force the population to get vaccinated.
As determined by UOL, the law, published on February 6, comes from PL 23/2020, an initiative of the Bolsonaro government itself, when Luiz Henrique Mandetta, who signed the work, was Minister of Health. The proposal already had article 3, which places vaccination as one of the possibilities to be determined by the authorities:
To face the public health emergency of international importance due to the coronavirus, the following measures may be adopted, among others:
I – isolation;
II – quarantine;
III – determination of the mandatory performance of:
a) medical examinations;
b) laboratory tests;
c) collection of clinical samples;
d) vaccination and other prophylactic measures; or
e) specific medical treatments “.
In addition, the ECA (Statute for Children and Adolescents) establishes that young people up to 18 years of age must be vaccinated when recommended by the health authorities, and non-compliance, according to the norm, carries a fine of between three and 20 salaries. minimum for those responsible.
What happens if the membership is low?
As the president of the SBIm explains, the ideal coverage for any vaccine is 95% of the population, except for HPV, which is 80%.
Although the PNI (National Immunization Program) is one of the largest in the world, a drop in vaccination coverage was observed between 2018 and 2019, from 77.13% to 71.49%. “Now, with the pandemic, for fear of leaving home, people receive even fewer vaccinations,” explains Ballalai.
The main risk, according to the expert, is to leave viruses among us for a longer time, causing outbreaks. “Without everyone being committed to protection, the increase in cases will continue to occur.”
What prevents Brazilians from getting vaccinated?
As the study “Does fake news make us sick?”, Carried out by Avaaz in partnership with SBIm, with the aim of investigating the association between misinformation and the drop in vaccination coverage observed in recent years, lack of trust in vaccines is not a reality for the majority of Brazilians.
According to the president of the society, the main cause is the international phenomenon known as vaccination vacillation, which is characterized by “delay in accepting or rejecting the recommended vaccines when they are available in health services.”
“We often relate only to lack of trust, but it is not true. Low adherence is multifactorial. In many Latin American countries, they are structural factors, access to information, not exactly fear. The mere fact of depending on Vaccination does not make you stay There are people who end up leaving for another time, or arrive at the health center and do not have a vaccine, they have a routine full of commitments.
Vaccination is important and should be seen as a collective act.
In light of the president’s statement, SBIm issued an official statement reminding the population of the importance of vaccination:
- Vaccination is among the instruments with the greatest positive impact on public health worldwide, indisputably contributing to reducing mortality and increasing quality and life expectancy.
- Thanks to vaccination, smallpox was eradicated and poliomyelitis was practically eradicated, which today is only present in two countries.
- The Brazilian PNI (National Immunization Program) is considered one of the most successful in the world. In addition to smallpox and poliomyelitis, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, maternal tetanus, and neonatal tetanus were eliminated from the national territory.
- These and many other achievements are related to the adherence of Brazilians to vaccination and their recognition of the importance of vaccines to prevent serious damage to health.
“It is never just about your individual health. Immunization is done together, by the entire population,” reinforces Ballalai.
On Twitter, Internet users also responded to the statement in defense of vaccination, posting posts with the hashtag “VacinaÉAmorAoProximo.”
