Vaccination Campaign in Schools Aims to Immunize 27 Million Students by April 30

Brazil’s national school vaccination campaign, launched on April 14, 2025, has successfully immunized nearly 27.8 million students under 15 years old across public schools by its conclusion on April 30, 2026, according to official reports from the Ministries of Health and Education.

The initiative, described as the largest school-based vaccination effort since the Programa Saúde na Escola began in 2007, targeted children and adolescents in 109,800 public educational institutions nationwide. The campaign aimed to update vaccination records and administer doses for diseases including polio, measles, rubella and other preventable illnesses outlined in Brazil’s National Immunization Program.

Health officials emphasized that achieving high immunization coverage in school settings is critical for preventing outbreaks and maintaining herd immunity, particularly among vulnerable age groups. The effort was coordinated between federal, state, and municipal health departments, with vaccines administered by trained health teams during school hours.

Parents and guardians were required to provide consent for vaccination, and schools served as central points for disseminating information about the vaccines being offered. Officials noted that the campaign also served to identify and correct gaps in vaccination records, ensuring that children who had fallen behind on their immunization schedules could be brought up to date.

While the campaign reached its numerical target of immunizing approximately 27.8 million students, health authorities continue to monitor coverage rates and plan follow-up actions to maintain protection levels. The success of this initiative underscores the role of schools as effective venues for delivering preventive health services at scale.

As Brazil observes World Immunization Week in late April each year, officials point to campaigns like this one as evidence of the country’s ongoing commitment to disease prevention through accessible, coordinated public health strategies.