The Province of Santa Fe continues with the immunisation strategy against dengue, with 119,531 doses placed, of the 160,000 that were acquired following the decision of Governor Maximiliano Pullaro, with an investment of more than 4,000 million pesos, to guarantee access to the Qdenga vaccine.
The Minister of Health, Silvia Ciancio, highlighted the development of a focused, progressive and dynamic strategy, as part of a comprehensive prevention programme of the Provincial Government. In this regard, she insisted that people who are included in the target groups "can go to the nearest health centre to receive their dose free of charge, if they are in a position to receive it according to their health condition and the criteria defined within this strategy".
In terms of progress, of the 78,731 people who have already received their first dose free of charge, 40,800 have completed the scheme with the second dose. In this line, the levels achieved by this date stand out, considering the characteristics of the strategy and the challenges it presented at the beginning. In the population between 40 and 59 years of age, coverage with the complete scheme reached 62.98%; while in the 20-39 age group, it was 46.92%; and 32.57% in adolescents and young people between 15 and 19 years of age. "This level of coverage is the result of the hard work of the health teams to guarantee access to care in the province.
"The vaccine is an additional tool in the Objetivo Dengue Programme. The primary focus remains on eliminating stagnant water and avoiding mosquito bites." Both in localities with outbreaks of the disease, and even in those with isolated cases, the minister insisted on making an appointment when symptoms appear and to consult urgently if a person with dengue presents any of the warning signs.
Better prepared
For his part, the Secretary of Cooperation of the Province of Santa Fe, Cristian Cunha, in charge of the Objetivo Dengue Programme, emphasised that the number of doses available to the provincial public health authorities "is the result of timely negotiations with the laboratory that produces the vaccine, with a planned and unprecedented strategy that supports each of the actions that we carry out".
"We are focused on continuing to improve our work, with the conviction that Santa Fe is one of the provinces best prepared to face this problem," he continued, adding that "we have successfully coordinated the work of the ministries of Health, Government and Public Innovation, Environment and Climate Change, Education and Equality and Human Development, together with municipalities, municipalities, institutions and social organisations. This union is the basis for achieving the objectives we set ourselves.
Finally, he remarked that "with almost 10 billion pesos invested in this public policy, based on a strong decision by the governor, we have not only managed to develop an unprecedented vaccination strategy, but we have also made progress in raising awareness and educating people about the need to tackle this disease in a comprehensive manner".
Who can be vaccinated
The first stage of vaccination began on 9 September 2024, and is still in force for young people between 15 and 19 years of age, residing in the departments of 9 de Julio, San Cristobal and General Obligado; and in priority areas of the cities of Rosario, Santa Fe and Rafaela. Health personnel, members of the provincial police, firefighters and prison staff, members of municipalities and communes participating in territorial dengue operations and federal forces of Plan Bandera, aged between 20 and 59 years, were progressively incorporated.
In addition, people between 15 and 59 years of age who had dengue during the 2023-2024 outbreak can be vaccinated, whether they had the disease on an outpatient basis or required hospitalisation.
If you have any doubts, please contact your nearest health care provider, or write an email to pairegionsur@santafe.gov.ar.
In Rosario, the reference vaccinator is the Provincial Geriatric Hospital (Ayolas 141), Monday to Friday, from 8am to 1pm. In Santa Fe, people can go to the Centro de Especialidades Médicas Ambulatorias (Cemafe, Avda. 27 de Febrero y Mendoza), Monday to Friday, from 7am to 6.30pm.
