Brazilian indigenous people demand the immunization of all their children | News

The Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), together with its regional grassroots organizations, expressed this Thursday support for the decision of the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) of that country to start immunization against Covid-19 in children from 5 to 11 years old.

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In this sense, they demand in a statement the inclusion of all their indigenous children, those who live inside and outside the approved territories, in the vaccination campaign and the continuity of the vaccination of adolescents from 12 to 18 years old.

Apib's fight with the Federal Supreme Court ensured the inclusion of indigenous peoples as a priority group in vaccination against Covid-19, including peoples living in Brazil, such as the Warao people, who are refugees from Venezuela.

In this direction, they want to guarantee that all their children are included as a priority in the vaccination program.

In the statement they expressed their rejection of the constant attacks by the Government of Jair Bolsonaro against the decision of Anvisa, the federal administration body responsible for verifying the conditions of quality, safety and efficacy of a vaccine.

Anvisa's decision was made on December 17, 2021 and is based on national and international epidemiological data on the impact of Covid-19 in different age groups, considering the risk of infection, transmission and worsening (hospitalization and death) and data of studies on the efficacy and safety of vaccinating children.

Health authorities warned of a new growth in the occupancy rates of intensive care beds dedicated to adults suffering from Covid-19. The scenario is not comparable to the crisis experienced in 2021, but it already demands attention from managers.

Brazil is the country in Latin America and the Caribbean most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and Jair Bolsonaro has stood out as an opponent of the policies to control the epidemic.