History of Vaccination in Brazil and the current scenario as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: To raise the aspects that marked the history of vaccines in our country, as well as issues related to vaccine coverage. Bibliographic Review: Initially, the historical aspects involving the emergence of vaccines in the world and in Brazil were presented, focusing on the variolation technique, a technique that introduced the concept of vaccines in the world. The discoveries and facts considered as major milestones in the history of the vaccine were explained, highlighting the importance of the National Vaccination Program in containing the morbidity and mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases. Thus, it became evident that the vaccination coverage recommended by the program directly influences the number of cases of vaccinable diseases, and the greater the vaccination coverage, the lower the risk for the exposed population. Then, the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic was addressed, focusing on aspects related to vaccination, and, at the end, a reflection was carried out on the current values ​​of vaccination coverage in our country. Final Considerations: Important advances have been made in relation to vaccination, however, reaching the proposed vaccine coverage targets remains a challenge.