Southern Brazil City Goes against The Grain by Administering Vaccine in The Buttocks
The residents of the Southern Brazilian city of Joinville (SC) noticed that their "vaccination"social media did not mirror the rest of the country. People in the county weren't posting photos celebrating their vaccines. Why? The explanation: the city government decided that the vaccine would be administered to the buttocks, not the arms, as has been more common in Brazil. The Ministry of Health recommends that the application be made intramuscularly in the deltoid muscle in the arm. If there is an impediment, the ministry allows for the buttocks region. Renato Kfouri, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and secretary of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations, says that no scientific studies demonstrate lesser efficacy of the vaccine administered in this region. In a video posted on the Facebook profile of Joinville, nurse and health surveillance manager Fabiana Fernandes de Almeida, says that the municipality chose to apply the vaccine in the buttocks because it is less painful and causes fewer local reactions.