IMPACTOS DA QUEDA DA COBERTURA VACINAL NA REINTRODUÇÃO DE DOENÇAS IMUNOPREVENÍVEIS: UMA REVISÃO DA LITERATURA

Abstract

The decline in vaccination coverage has generated significant impacts on public health, increasing the risk of reintroduction of vaccine-preventable diseases, which were practically eradicated or under control. The study aims to identify the impacts of the decline in vaccination coverage on the reintroduction of vaccine-preventable diseases. This is a literature review research, carried out in November 2024 in the Virtual Health Library and Google Scholar using the descriptors “vaccination coverage” and “immunization”. Studies in Portuguese, from the last 5 years, with full text available for free were selected. The reduction in vaccination coverage is a reality faced in the last decade that weakens collective immunity, making the population more vulnerable to the emergence of outbreaks of preventable diseases. Factors such as the dissemination of false information, the anti-vaccine movement and resistance to immunization programs have contributed to this decrease in vaccine uptake. The COVID-19 pandemic has also further aggravated this situation, as it has caused the interruption of vaccination campaigns and the shift of resources to address the health crisis, compromising the immunization schedule and generating concerns about the safety of vaccines. The reintroduction of these diseases not only affects unvaccinated individuals, but also puts society as a whole at risk, as it can lead to large-scale dissemination. Therefore, it is urgent that measures be taken to combat misinformation, promote awareness of the importance of vaccination, and ensure the maintenance of effective programs to reverse this situation, preventing the spread of diseases that can be easily prevented with adequate immunization.