The Brazilian state of Sao Paulo will step up measles vaccination across all 645 of its municipalities starting Monday, August 3.
The State Health Secretariat announced that the action forms part of its broader Multi-Vaccination Campaign, which is scheduled to run through September 1.
The escalation follows confirmation by the Epidemiological Surveillance Center on Thursday, July 30, of the state's 15th measles case of 2026. Health officials identified the infection in Guarulhos, located in Greater Sao Paulo, involving a child who had no prior record of vaccination against the disease.
Sao Paulo is the most populous state in Brazil, situated in the southeastern part of the country, with Greater Sao Paulo forming its principal metropolitan area. Guarulhos sits adjacent to the state capital and serves as a key transit hub, making local health surveillance vital for preventing regional disease transmission.
Target Group and Local Health Clinics
According to state officials, the mobilization targets children and adolescents under 15 years of age. The main objective of the campaign is to identify missing vaccine doses and update immunization records that have fallen behind schedule.
Parents and guardians are required to bring minors to local vaccination posts along with their official immunization cards. Healthcare teams at the clinics will inspect each child's card to determine which doses are required based on age and health history.
All immunizations listed in the National Vaccination Calendar are available across municipal Basic Health Units, known as UBSs. Individual municipal governments, known as prefeituras, establish the specific operating hours and locations for clinics in their jurisdiction.
Basic Health Units serve as primary healthcare centers across Brazilian cities, acting as the main point of entry for public medical care and routine immunization. The National Vaccination Calendar sets the standard vaccine schedule established by public health authorities across Brazil.
Targeted Strategy in Three Key Municipalities
In addition to the state-wide campaign, health authorities have introduced a specific intensification strategy targeting measles in three major municipalities: Sao Paulo city, Guarulhos, and Sao Bernardo do Campo. In these three cities, the triple viral vaccine will be offered to all residents aged six months to 59 years, regardless of their current vaccination status.
The triple viral vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that causes high fever, cough, and a widespread skin rash, while mumps affects the salivary glands and rubella causes rashes and fever.
For infants aged six months to 11 months and 29 days, receiving the vaccine is classified as a dose zero. Health officials emphasized that this early application does not count toward or replace the standard doses scheduled in the national calendar at 12 months and 15 months of age.
The state health secretariat adopted the dose zero policy following recent reports of suspected cases. The measure aims to broaden protection for infants under one year old, who represent the population group most vulnerable to severe forms of measles.
According to the state health secretariat, the directive follows guidelines issued by the National Immunization Program under the Ministry of Health and was established in coordination with municipal surveillance teams.
The National Immunization Program is Brazil's federal public health initiative responsible for coordinating immunization policies, setting national vaccination standards, and distributing free vaccines through the public healthcare system.
Vaccination Coverage Below Target Goals
Preliminary public health data for 2026 shows that measles vaccination coverage in Sao Paulo state remains well below official targets. Coverage for the first dose of the triple viral vaccine stands at 77.5 percent, while coverage for the second dose has reached 65.5 percent.
The Ministry of Health has established a benchmark target of 95 percent coverage for each of the two required doses to ensure adequate community protection.
High vaccination coverage rates are essential to maintain herd immunity against measles because the virus spreads easily through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Completing the two-dose series ensures strong, long-lasting immunity.
City of Sao Paulo Municipal Response
In the state capital, the local drive is coordinated by the Municipal Health Secretariat through the Health Surveillance Coordination, known as Covisa, and will also run until September 1.
During this period, measles vaccination in the capital is expanded to everyone aged six months to 59 years. Municipal authorities explained that the decision followed the identification of cases pointing to a transmission chain linked to imported cases of the virus.
Under the city's vaccination guidelines, individuals aged five to 29 and healthcare workers must have two doses of the vaccine on record, with a minimum interval of 30 days between applications. Adults aged 30 to 59 must have at least one dose of the triple viral vaccine to be considered vaccinated.
Vaccination is available at capital UBS locations from Monday to Friday between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm. On Saturdays and public holidays, immunizations are administered during the same hours at Ambulatory Medical Assistance facilities, known as AMAs, and Integrated UBS units.
Municipal officials have scheduled a special D-Day for August 22, when all 483 Basic Health Units across the capital city will open specifically to administer vaccines.
Comprehensive Routine Vaccines Available
Throughout the multi-vaccination drive, clinics will offer all routine immunizations included in the National Vaccination Calendar for children and adolescents based on age, medical indications, and prior records.
The available immunizations include BCG, hepatitis B, pentavalent, poliomyelitis, rotavirus, pneumococcal, meningococcal C, and meningococcal ACWY vaccines. Centers will also provide vaccines for influenza, Covid-19, yellow fever, triple viral MMR, varicella chickenpox, DTP, hepatitis A, and human papillomavirus, known as HPV.
These routine immunizations protect against a wide range of dangerous viral and bacterial diseases, including tuberculosis, liver infections, polio, childhood diarrhea, meningitis, respiratory illnesses, and virus-related cancers.
