Brazil adds second polio vaccine booster for children to national schedule

Brazil's Ministry of Health announced that, starting 3 August, a second dose of the inactivated polio vaccine will be administered to children at four years of age. The update brings the childhood schedule to five injectable doses: three primary shots at two, four and six months, a first booster at 15 months, and the new second booster at four years. The change follows a technical advisory meeting and replaces the previous use of an oral‑virus dose, reinforcing protection as global polio outbreaks resume. Brazil has remained free of wild poliovirus for over three decades, and officials say maintaining high vaccine coverage is essential to prevent re‑introduction. The public health system (SUS) will resume the two‑dose booster scheme, urging parents to verify children’s vaccination records and seek doses in any health unit if needed.