São Paulo warns of the importance of the yellow fever vaccine

Those who are going to enjoy the extended Carnival holiday in São Paulo cities that are on the border with the states of Minas Gerais and Paraná should be alert to the risk of contamination by yellow fever, informs the Center for Epidemiological Surveillance (CVE) of the State of São Paulo. The recommendation was motivated by the fact that Minas Gerais and Paraná municipalities on the border with the state of São Paulo are on alert for cases of the disease. The risk is greater in forest and rural areas that receive tourists for camping, trails and other activities during the Carnival holiday, which starts in 12 days. The State Department of Health (SES) reinforces the importance of routine vaccination, and not just during an epidemic or pandemic, to avoid more serious cases. In the state of São Paulo, vaccination coverage against yellow fever is 64%. The director of CVE, Tatiana Lang D’Agostini, emphasizes that immunization is essential for those who will travel to the interior. “The yellow fever vaccine has a period of 10 days to create antibodies. In this way, those who are going to travel to the forest zone during Carnival, go to camps, trails, waterfalls, immunization as soon as possible is of paramount importance”. The SES reinforces that the yellow fever vaccine is part of the immunization schedule and is available free of charge at all health posts in the state. Since 2017, the Ministry of Health follows the guidance of the World Health Organization, which recommends only one dose of the vaccine for life. Yellow fever infection occurs through wild mosquitoes, which live in forest areas and do not inhabit the urban environment of cities. On January 27, the state of São Paulo recorded the first confirmed case of yellow fever since 2020. It is a 73-year-old man, resident of a rural area in the city of Vargem Grande do Sul, on the border with Minas Gerais.

Agência Brasil