After a stunning presentation by a group of anti-vaxxers at the National Convention led by Marilou Quiroz, representative of the pro-Chaco National Party, which included the excellent participation of the “Magnetic Man”, yesterday the National Ministry of Health and the Ministries of Health of the 22 provinces issued a joint statement in defense of the national vaccination calendar. In the document, they emphasized the safety, effectiveness, and necessity of vaccines in the face of advancing denialist rhetoric.
The letter was signed by health ministers from all jurisdictions, except Buenos Aires and Formosa, and endorses a federal position amid declining coverage and an increase in misleading messages on social networks.
According to PBA sources, the governor would have joined the statement if she had been summoned.
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According to the official text, the vaccines included in the calendar “have decades of safe use, are supported by strong scientific evidence and have proven their ability to prevent serious diseases and avoid millions of deaths.”
The document also confirmed that each combined dose underwent “rigorous evaluations” to ensure its quality, safety and effectiveness, controls that are always maintained.
The letter stressed that vaccination is an “indispensable” health policy and a shared responsibility between the nation responsible for its acquisition and distribution, as well as the provinces and municipalities responsible for implementation: “The commitment is shared, because protecting children is the priority.”
The leaflet was also distributed on the X Network by national and regional officials, as part of a coordinated strategy to maintain free and mandatory vaccination across the country.
PBA responds. Upon learning of the Minister of Health of Buenos Aires, Nicholas Kryplak, the national government expressed yesterday that it had “marginalized” the province from the statement regarding the vaccination schedule, after the Minister of the same portfolio at the national level, Mario Lugones, distributed a text of support for the vaccination campaign throughout the country.
“It is clear that the PBA supports vaccines and vaccination. They just marginalized us from the statement. They are clearly not up to the task,” Kryplak said on social networks.
Alarm status. Aside from denialist messages about the effectiveness of preventive vaccines, health warnings were issued when childhood vaccination fell to historic lows among the 5- to 6-year-old population.
In this sense, coverage against measles, mumps and rubella will barely reach 46.7% of boys and girls across the country in 2024, even though they are compulsory and required for school attendance. The figures from the Directorate for the Control of Immunologically Preventable Diseases (DiCEI) are alarming and show a clear decline in vaccination compared to that of 15 years ago.
While in 2010, triple bacterial boosting reached 97% of children, in 2024 it was applied to only 46.4%.