SP Government Will Knock Door to Door to Find Unvaccinated Children

08/24/2018 - 14h44

Health workers will search house by house for children yet to be vaccinated against measles and polio in the state's capital, São Paulo, in a government effort to reach the vaccination goals set for this year.

They will knock door to door to explain to residents the importance of vaccines and give guidance on the topic.

This campaign is part of a pack of measures planned by the city administration, which also include vaccination in city school, a pop-up vaccination booth in Avenida Paulista and a Action Day next Saturday (25), when all city health clinics will be open for people who want to vaccinate their children.

The measures' targets are children between one and five years of age, who are the focus of the national vaccination ongoing campaign against both diseases. The campaign ends on August 31st.

The campaign goal is to vaccinate 95% of children in that age group, but so far, only 59% of them received vaccines in the state's capital, São Paulo. "If we continue like this, we won't reach our goal," said Maria Lígia Nerge, São Paulo's vaccination program's coordinator.

Another attempt was mandating city schools ask for students' immunization records, earlier this month. Beginning next week, students with incomplete records and proper parent or guardian authorizations, will be able to be vaccinated by healthcare works who will go from school to school especially to do that.

Translated by NATASHA MADOV

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