Brazil Pushes Vaccination on World Polio Day as Coverage Falls Short

Overview

• On Saturday health teams held World Polio Day vaccination drives, and authorities in the Distrito Federal urged parents to bring ID and accompany children who need the 4‑year booster.
• Since November 2024 Brazil has used only the inactivated polio vaccine (VIP) and the national infant schedule calls for doses at 2, 4 and 6 months with boosters at 15 months and 4 years.
• National vaccine coverage has stayed under the 95% target since 2016, leaving immunity gaps that could allow the virus to spread if it is reintroduced.
• Poliovirus is transmitted mainly by the fecal‑oral route so poor sanitation, contaminated water and inadequate hygiene increase the chance of local transmission and make high vaccine coverage critical.
• There is no antiviral that clears poliovirus, so treatment focuses on symptom care and rehabilitation and public health officials say vaccination is the only reliable way to prevent permanent paralysis.