Brazil Launches National Vaccination Day Amidst Surge in Vaccine Misinformation
Brazil combats rampant vaccine misinformation with a nationwide vaccination campaign featuring over 15 vaccines for children and efforts to restore public trust in immunization.
- • Brazil leads Latin America in vaccine misinformation, accounting for 40% of related content on Telegram.
- • National Vaccination Day on October 18 offers over 15 free vaccines for children and adolescents through SUS.
- • Health Minister Padilha emphasizes vaccination as a right and highlights past disease eradication successes.
- • Ministry of Health launched "Saúde com Ciência" program to counter misinformation and promote reliable vaccine information.
Key details
On October 18, 2025, Brazil marked its National Vaccination Day (Dia D), focusing on immunizing children and adolescents up to 15 years old. Health Minister Alexandre Padilha led a nationwide appeal emphasizing the necessity of vaccination to protect the population and to prevent the return of diseases once controlled or eradicated. All health posts across the country operated from 8 AM to 5 PM, offering over 15 types of vaccines free through the Unified Health System (SUS).
Padilha underscored that Brazil's historic vaccination success, eliminating diseases like measles and polio, is currently threatened by a surge in vaccine misinformation. A recent study analyzing 81 million messages from 1,785 conspiracy communities on Telegram revealed that Brazil accounts for 40% of vaccine misinformation content in Latin America. False claims range from vaccines causing sudden death (15.7% of messages) to altering DNA (8.2%) and linked unfoundedly to AIDS or cancer. The misinformation spike accelerated massively during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing 689.4 times from 2019 to 2021, though levels have since decreased but remain elevated.
To combat this, the Ministry of Health launched the "Saúde com Ciência" program to provide reliable vaccination information and encourage public reporting of falsehoods. The vaccination campaign also features the popular children's presenter Xuxa Meneghel as an ambassador, aiming to boost participation.
Minister Padilha highlighted that vaccination is not just a medical intervention but a right that cannot be denied to children. He declared, "We will not deny our children a right that our parents did not deny us." The campaign coincides with October's broader health initiatives, including the Outubro Rosa (Pink October) campaign promoting mammography for women aged 40 to 74. The National Vaccination Day reiterates Brazil's commitment to public health amid the challenges posed by misinformation.
The country's recognition by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) as measles-free is a testament to previous vaccination efforts. Yet, with the ongoing misinformation threat, the Government's mobilization on October 18 represents both a call to action and a rallying point for public trust in vaccines and science.