With the arrival of summer, increased movement of people, rain and increased travel increase the risk of infectious diseases such as hepatitis A, dengue fever and yellow fever. Experts point out that all of these diseases can be prevented thanks to vaccines and recommend that adults review their vaccination records before traveling or starting a vacation.
Certain vaccines which are not available free of charge for adults in the public network may be offered free of charge in special situations via CRIEs (Special Immunobiological Reference Centers).
In these centers, people at higher risk of complications, such as patients living with HIV, people with cancer and transplant recipients, are eligible for vaccines that are not part of the common schedule, such as meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines.
See recommended vaccines for adults below
Hepatitis A and B
The hepatitis A vaccine in the private network can be administered to anyone over 12 months of age who has not yet been vaccinated. It is considered the main form of infection prevention.
The vaccine is available on the SUS as part of the children’s schedule, with a dose at 15 months, and can be applied from 12 months to 4 years, 11 months and 29 days.
Hepatitis B can also be prevented with the vaccine, available free of charge from the SUS for anyone who is not vaccinated. For adults who did not receive it as children, the usual schedule is three doses.
In the private network, vaccines can cost R$330. The prices mentioned are approximate and have been collected from private clinics. Prices may vary by city, laboratory and facility.
Tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough
The vaccine against tetanus and diphtheria, called double adult (dT), must be reinforced every 10 years — or every 5 years in the event of serious injuries.
“This care is essential because the risk of exposure to tetanus increases with age, whether through minor accidents, household cuts or activities such as gardening. After 60 years, vulnerability increases even more,” explains Rosana Richtmann, infectious disease specialist, of the Emílio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases and director of the Immunization Committee of the SBI (Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases).
dTpa is also available in Brazil, which includes the pertussis component. The disease, more common in summer, tends to cause intense and prolonged coughing in adults for weeks. Strengthening with the pertussis component is particularly useful for those who live with babies, for vulnerable groups or who work in the health sector, explains Maria Isabel de Moraes Pinto, infectious diseases specialist at Delboni.
The vaccination options available in the private network include different combinations of vaccines. The DTPa + IPV vaccine, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio, costs R$270. The DTPa + Polio + Hib vaccine (pentavalent), indicated against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b, has a value of R$292.
DTPa, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, is offered for R$260. And the hexavalent vaccine (DTPa + IPV + Hib + hepatitis B), which extends protection against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b and hepatitis B cost R$344.
dTpa is offered on the private network. Through the PNI (National Vaccination Program), it has been systematically offered since 2014 to pregnant women, women who have recently given birth up to 45 days old (when they are not vaccinated during pregnancy), traditional midwives and health professionals or interns who work in maternity wards and neonatal units.
The flu vaccine should be given once a year because the flu virus is constantly mutating, requiring an annual update of the formula to ensure adequate protection.
In the SUS, vaccination is available for the following priority groups: elderly people, children from 6 months to less than 6 years old, pregnant women, women who have just given birth, health workers, teachers, indigenous peoples, quilombolas, people living on the street, professionals in the security forces, the armed forces and the post office, truck drivers, public transport workers, employees and persons deprived of liberty (including young people benefiting from measures socio-educational), port workers, people with permanent disabilities and people with chronic or special illnesses. clinical conditions.
In the private network, the vaccine is recommended for children aged 6 months and over, adults and the elderly for around R$99.
Triple viral
Pinto stresses that adults should keep their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination up to date, especially given the current risk of measles being re-introduced into the country. Although Brazil is temporarily free of virus circulation, the number of cases has increased worldwide and outbreaks in countries in the Northern Hemisphere increase the risk of imported cases.
According to the SUS schedule, all adults up to age 59 must have an MMR record, with two doses up to age 30 and one dose for those between 30 and 59. After age 60, the vaccine is no longer systematically administered. In the private network, the vaccine can cost up to R$139.
Dengue
Dengue is one of the most worrying diseases of summer, because the combination of heat and rain favors the proliferation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, transmitter of the disease. SUS offers the Qdenga vaccine, developed by pharmaceutical company Takeda, for children aged 10 to 14. The vaccine is also available on the private network for people aged 4 to 60 for R$448.
For adults, the dengue vaccine is not yet available free of charge on the public network. The Ministry of Health, however, announced that a single-dose vaccine manufactured by the Butantan Institute would begin to be applied to primary health care professionals from the end of January. The idea is to then extend it to the general public, but the detailed schedule has not yet been revealed.
Herpes zoster
Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox (chickenpox) virus, which remains dormant in the body after infection during childhood and, years later, can reappear causing severe pain, discomfort and complications such as post-herpetic neuralgia.
The vaccine is not available in the SUS, but can be applied in the private network in two doses, the first for R$889 or the package of two doses for R$1,689. It is recommended for adults over the age of 50, as well as people over the age of 18 at increased risk of shingles, such as those who are immunocompromised.
Meningitis and pneumonia
Meningitis vaccines are not routine in adults and are only indicated in the event of an outbreak of meningococcal meningitis near the person’s place of residence or work. In the SUS, these vaccines are only used in the event of an epidemic or for specific groups defined by surveillance. On the private network, it costs R$434.
The vaccine against pneumonia (pneumococcus) is indicated from the age of 60, in a single dose, because it protects against pneumococcus, the main bacteria responsible for pneumonia, but is not available in SUS for healthy elderly people, being reserved for the private network or established risk groups.
Pneumococcal vaccines are also available in different versions in the private network. 13-valent pneumococcus, which protects against 13 serotypes of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniaecosts R$310. The 15-valent pneumococcus, with coverage extended to 15 serotypes, is offered for R$330. The most comprehensive option is pneumococcus 20-valent, which protects against 20 serotypes of the bacteria and costs R$499.
Respiratory syncytial virus
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has a vaccine in the private network for the population over 60 years old, pregnant women and people with comorbidity over 18 years old. The value varies from R$1,520 to R$1,690. In addition, the vaccine is available to pregnant women from the 28th week, regardless of the age of the mother, with a single dose for each pregnancy.
Yellow fever
Another important vaccine, especially for those living in Brazil – considered an endemic country, meaning a place where the yellow fever virus constantly circulates every year – is yellow fever. It is available in the public network and, for adults, it is administered in a single dose. On the private network, it costs R$198.
According to PNI guidelines, anyone who received the first dose before the age of 5 should take a second dose at any age, while anyone vaccinated from the age of 5 only needs one dose throughout their life.
COVID-19(female
The Covid-19 vaccine is available to children aged 6 months and above, elderly people (60 years and above), pregnant women, people with comorbidities or permanent disabilities and other priority groups. For those who have never been vaccinated and are part of the target audience, vaccination is also recommended.
HPV
The HPV vaccine is widely recommended for adults up to 45 years of age and adolescents because it protects against the virus linked to the development of several types of cancer, such as that of the cervix, anus, penis, mouth and throat. It also protects against genital warts, a very common problem in both men and women.
In Brazil, two vaccines are available: HPV4 and HPV9. The first is available on the SUS for adolescents aged 9 to 14. The difference between the two is that while one provides protection against four HPV subtypes, the other protects against nine. In the private network, the nonavalent dose costs R$940 for the 1st dose, R$1,786 for two doses and R$2,679 for three doses.
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