Covid-19 Research

Research Article

Poliomyelitis Immunization: Coverage according to Geographic Region of Brazil, 2018-2022

Journal of Biomedical Research & Environmental Sciences article abstract with citation details, DOI, publication dates, subject areas, full text links, and references.

View DOI Submit Manuscript

Article Details

Publication record, authors, dates, abstract, and full text access.

Open Access
Article Type Research Article
Subject Medicine Group
OCLC JBRES Record
Mateus M Bergamaschi*, Silva AJEM, Kataoka JGP, Victure L, Whiley SBJ and Leonardo CHI
Issue: Volume7-Issue3
Pages: 1-9
Received: 2026-02-23
Accepted: 2026-03-17
Published: 2026-03-18

Abstract

Background: Poliomyelitis, also known as infantile paralysis, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus, which may present with a broad clinical spectrum ranging from mild, self-limited symptoms to severe neurological impairment, including paralysis of limb and respiratory muscles. Although currently rare due to the widespread implementation of vaccination programs, poliomyelitis remains a significant public health concern. The eradication of polio is a national and global objective. The Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV) and the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) are effective preventive strategies, particularly because of the virus’s low genetic variability, which favors sustained immunological protection through vaccination. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate regional disparities and temporal trends in poliomyelitis vaccination coverage in Brazil between 2018 and 2022.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study analyzed polio vaccination coverage across the five geographic regions of Brazil (North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast, and South) from 2018 to 2022. Secondary data were collected from the Brazilian Ministry of Health database (DATASUS) and examined to identify regional trends and variations in immunization rates during the study period.
Results: The Northern region presented the lowest mean vaccination coverage (71.17%) and marked annual fluctuations. In contrast, the Southern region demonstrated the highest mean coverage (85.71%) and greater temporal stability. None of the regions achieved the 95% vaccination target recommended for adequate population protection between 2018 and 2022. A noticeable decline in coverage was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic period, followed by a modest recovery in 2022.
Conclusion: Despite the availability of effective vaccines and longstanding immunization policies, polio vaccination coverage in Brazil remains below the recommended threshold across all regions. Regional disparities and the decline observed during the COVID-19 pandemic underscore the need for strengthened public health strategies, improved access to immunization services, and renewed community engagement to prevent the reemergence of poliomyelitis and ensure sustained population protection.

FullText HTML FullText PDF DOI: 10.37871/jbres2280 Crossmark

Certificate of Publication

Certificate of Publication

Copyright

© 2026 Bergamaschi MM, et al. Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 Creative CommonsAttribution

How to cite this article

Bergamaschi MM, Silva AJEM, Kataoka JGP, Victure L, Whiley SBJ, Leonardo CHI. Poliomyelitis Immunization: Coverage according to Geographic Region of Brazil, 2018-2022. J Biomed Res Environ Sci. 2026 Mar 18; 7(3): 9. Doi: 10.37872/jbres2280

Subject area(s)

References

  1. Doherty M, Buchy P, Standaert B, Giaquinto C, Prado-Cohrs D. Vaccine impact: Benefits for human health. Vaccine. 2016 Dec 20;34(52):6707-6714. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.10.025. Epub 2016 Oct 20. PMID: 27773475.
  2. Kumar V, Abbas AK, Aster JC. Robbins e Cotran patologia: bases patológicas das doenças. 10th ed. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan; 2025.
  3. Baggen J, Thibaut HJ, Strating JRPM, van Kuppeveld FJM. The life cycle of non-polio enteroviruses and how to target it. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2018 Jun;16(6):368-381. doi: 10.1038/s41579-018-0005-4. Erratum in: Nat Rev Microbiol. 2018 Jun;16(6):391. doi: 10.1038/s41579-018-0022-3. PMID: 29626210.
  4. Kalkowska DA, Pallansch MA, Wassilak SGF, Cochi SL, Thompson KM. Global Transmission of Live Polioviruses: Updated Dynamic Modeling of the Polio Endgame. Risk Anal. 2021 Feb;41(2):248-265. doi: 10.1111/risa.13447. Epub 2020 Jan 20. PMID: 31960533; PMCID: PMC7787008.
  5. de Armas-Rillo L, Valera MS, Marrero-Hernández S, Valenzuela-Fernández A. Membrane dynamics associated with viral infection. Rev Med Virol. 2016 May;26(3):146-60. doi: 10.1002/rmv.1872. Epub 2016 Jan 28. PMID: 26817660; PMCID: PMC5066672.
  6. Bao J, Thorley B, Isaacs D, Dinsmore N, Elliott EJ, McIntyre P, Britton PN. Polio - The old foe and new challenges: An update for clinicians. J Paediatr Child Health. 2020 Oct;56(10):1527-1532. doi: 10.1111/jpc.15140. Epub 2020 Sep 9. PMID: 32905647.
  7. Pereira Motta M, Oliveira ASB, André Nogueira JA, Vieira de Souza Moscardi AA, Munhoz Teixeira C, Manchim Favaro V, Simcsik AO, Conde S, Patrizi MC, Rinaldi C, Fontani V, Rinaldi S. Improving Strength and Fatigue Resistance in Post-Polio Syndrome Individuals with REAC Neurobiological Treatments. J Pers Med. 2023 Oct 26;13(11):1536. doi: 10.3390/jpm13111536. PMID: 38003851; PMCID: PMC10672477.
  8. Berner M, Pany-Kucera D, Doneus N, Sladek V, Gamble M, Eggers S. Challenging definitions and diagnostic approaches for ancient rare diseases: The case of poliomyelitis. Int J Paleopathol. 2021 Jun;33:113-127. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.04.003. Epub 2021 Apr 21. PMID: 33894575.
  9. Bandyopadhyay AS, Zipursky S. A novel tool to eradicate an ancient scourge: the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 story. Lancet Infect Dis. 2023 Feb;23(2):e67-e71. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00582-5. Epub 2022 Sep 23. PMID: 36162417.
  10. He H, Wang Y, Deng X, Yue C, Tang X, Li Y, Liu Y, Yin Z, Zhang G, Chen Z, Xie S, Wen N, An Z, Chen Z, Wang H. Immunogenicity of three sequential schedules with Sabin inactivated poliovirus vaccine and bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine in Zhejiang, China: an open-label, randomised, controlled trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020 Sep;20(9):1071-1079. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30738-8. Epub 2020 May 19. PMID: 32442523.
  11. Dabas A, Yadav S. Vaccine Response With OPV: Should We Worry? Indian Pediatr. 2020 Feb 15;57(2):172-173. PMID: 32060245.
  12. MINISTÉRIO DA SAÚDE SECRETARIA DE VIGILÂNCIA EM SAÚDE COORDENAÇÃO GERAL DO PROGRAMA NACIONAL DE IMUNIZAÇÕES. Plano de Erradicação da Poliomielite: Estratégia no Brasil. 2015. Report.
  13. Korsman SNJ, Britton Robert. Virologia. Churchill Livingstone; 2014. p.248.
  14. Ciapponi A, Bardach A, Rey Ares L, Glujovsky D, Cafferata ML, Cesaroni S, Bhatti A. Sequential inactivated (IPV) and live oral (OPV) poliovirus vaccines for preventing poliomyelitis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Dec 5;12(12):CD011260. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011260.pub2. PMID: 31801180; PMCID: PMC6953375.
  15. Rodrigues RN, Nascimento GLM do, Arroyo LH, Arcêncio RA, Oliveira VC de, Guimarães EA de A. Pandemia por COVID-19 e o abandono da vacinação em crianças: mapas da heterogeneidade espacial. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. 2022;30:e3641. doi:10.1590/1518-8345.6132.3641.
  16. Souza KS, de Oliveira MBM, da Silva MRF. Cobertura vacinal de poliomielite no Brasil de 2023-2022. The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2023;27(S1):103090. doi: 10.1016/j.bjid.2023.103090.
  17. Causey K, Fullman N, Sorensen RJD, Galles NC, Zheng P, Aravkin A, Danovaro-Holliday MC, Martinez-Piedra R, Sodha SV, Velandia-González MP, Gacic-Dobo M, Castro E, He J, Schipp M, Deen A, Hay SI, Lim SS, Mosser JF. Estimating global and regional disruptions to routine childhood vaccine coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: a modelling study. Lancet. 2021 Aug 7;398(10299):522-534. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01337-4. Epub 2021 Jul 17. PMID: 34273292; PMCID: PMC8285122.
  18. Shet A, Carr K, Danovaro-Holliday MC, Sodha SV, Prosperi C, Wunderlich J, Wonodi C, Reynolds HW, Mirza I, Gacic-Dobo M, O'Brien KL, Lindstrand A. Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on routine immunisation services: evidence of disruption and recovery from 170 countries and territories. Lancet Glob Health. 2022 Feb;10(2):e186-e194. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00512-X. Epub 2021 Dec 21. PMID: 34951973; PMCID: PMC8691849.
  19. Santoli JM, Lindley MC, DeSilva MB, Kharbanda EO, Daley MF, Galloway L, Gee J, Glover M, Herring B, Kang Y, Lucas P, Noblit C, Tropper J, Vogt T, Weintraub E. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Routine Pediatric Vaccine Ordering and Administration - United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 May 15;69(19):591-593. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6919e2. PMID: 32407298.
  20. Silveira MF, Tonial CT, Goretti K Maranhão A, Teixeira AMS, Hallal PC, Maria B Menezes A, Horta BL, Hartwig FP, Barros AJD, Victora CG. Missed childhood immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: Analyses of routine statistics and of a national household survey. Vaccine. 2021 Jun 8;39(25):3404-3409. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.04.046. Epub 2021 Apr 27. PMID: 33941406; PMCID: PMC9756801.
  21. Arroyo LH, Ramos ACV, Yamamura M, Weiller TH, Crispim JA, Cartagena-Ramos D, Fuentealba-Torres M, Santos DTD, Palha PF, Arcêncio RA. Áreas com queda da cobertura vacinal para BCG, poliomielite e tríplice viral no Brasil (2006-2016): mapas da heterogeneidade regional [Areas with declining vaccination coverage for BCG, poliomyelitis, and MMR in Brazil (2006-2016): maps of regional heterogeneity]. Cad Saude Publica. 2020 Apr 6;36(4):e00015619. Portuguese. doi: 10.1590/0102-311X00015619. PMID: 32267382.
  22. Sato K do C e F, Campos AJCS. Análise da cobertura vacinal do Programa Nacional de Imunização entre os anos de 2019 a 2022, do Município de Anápolis, Goiás, Brasil. Brazilian Journal of Health Review. 2023;6(6):32536-47. doi:10.34119/bjhrv6n6-461.
  23. Barros RC, Shinkai RMG, Rodrigues AMC, De Macedo BFS, Soares ACB. Avaliação da cobertura vacinal na região Norte do Brasil / Assessment of vaccination coverage in the northern Region of Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Health Review. 2021;4(6):25505-19. doi: 10.34119/bjhrv4n6-152.
  24. Delamonica E. Policy and Practice Measuring disparities in immunization coverage. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2005.
  25. Ferreira VLR, Waldman EA, Rodrigues LC, Martineli E, Costa ÂA, Inenami M, Sato APS. Avaliação de coberturas vacinais de crianças em uma cidade de médio porte (Brasil) utilizando registro informatizado de imunização [Assessment of vaccination coverage of children in a medium-sized Brazilian city using electronic immunization registry]. Cad Saude Publica. 2018 Sep 6;34(9):e00184317. Portuguese. doi: 10.1590/0102-311X00184317. PMID: 30208182.
  26. Programa das nações unidas para o desenvolvimento. Relatório de Desenvolvimento Humano 2021-22. 2022.
Publish with JBRES — Peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary Open Access with rapid review, DOI, and global visibility.
Double-Blind CrossRef DOI Discoverable
Submit Manuscript Membership