The Ministry of Public Health of Uruguay has launched its 2025 vaccination campaign targeting influenza, measles, and RSV, focusing on protecting vulnerable populations and enhancing community immunity. The campaign emphasizes high vaccination coverage to prevent disease outbreaks and includes tours of health directorates for improved accessibility.
Uruguay’s Ministry of Public Health (MSP) has initiated its 2025 vaccination campaign, focusing on influenza, measles, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Montevideo. The influenza vaccination campaign aims to protect vulnerable populations, including the elderly, young children, chronically ill individuals, and healthcare providers, in anticipation of the winter peak. The vaccine is updated yearly to ensure community immunity against circulating strains, significantly reducing hospitalizations and severe complications.
The MSP has emphasized the importance of completing the two-dose measles vaccination schedule, particularly for children over 15 months, healthcare workers, and travelers to countries experiencing measles outbreaks such as Argentina, Mexico, and Canada. Maintaining a vaccination coverage of 95% or more is essential to prevent the reintroduction of measles in Uruguay, which has remained free of the disease since 2016.
Furthermore, the campaign includes RSV vaccinations for women between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, aimed at protecting newborns from serious respiratory infections, thereby mitigating hospitalizations during peak viral periods. This initiative, implemented since 2023, underscores the MSP’s commitment to enhancing maternal and child health based on the latest scientific evidence.
The initiative also involves MSPS touring Departmental Health Directorates, commencing in Canelones, to enhance access to vaccination services, monitor healthcare provisions, and streamline logistics. The importance of vaccines in disease prevention, health equity, economic efficiency, and the fight against misinformation is reinforced through educational efforts by the MSP.
According to the MSP, the flu vaccine significantly decreases the risk of infection, hospitalization, and fatalities among vulnerable groups. By minimizing virus circulation, it fortifies community immunity, providing indirect protection for those unable to receive vaccinations. The vaccination campaign is timely, with applications scheduled for March and April to ensure readiness before the southern hemisphere’s winter peak.
The urgency of completing the measles vaccination regimen is highlighted due to the disease’s highly contagious nature and the potential for serious complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis. The region’s measles-free status since 2016 mandates high vaccination coverage to sustain this success.
Administering the RSV vaccine to pregnant women is crucial as it transfers antibodies to newborns, decreasing hospitalization risks from RSV by up to 70% during the first six months. RSV is a leading cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants, making this preventive measure vital, alongside other interventions like monoclonal antibodies for premature infants.
Uruguayan authorities have emphasized the historical significance of vaccines, citing successful eradication campaigns such as smallpox in 1980 and the global reduction of polio. The MSP has illustrated the cost-effectiveness of vaccines in lowering treatment and hospitalization costs, reducing burdens on healthcare systems, while countering misinformation and myths by reaffirming that vaccines are grounded in decades of scientific research supporting their safety and efficacy.
In conclusion, Uruguay’s 2025 vaccination campaign is essential to combat influenza, measles, and RSV, emphasizing the protection of vulnerable populations. The campaign seeks to maintain high vaccination coverage to prevent outbreaks and ensure public health. By integrating scientific evidence into their initiatives and addressing misinformation, the MSP aims to reinforce the importance of vaccines in reducing healthcare costs and improving community health outcomes.
Original Source: en.mercopress.com
