Challenges to Routine Immunizations in Brazil

This blog post is part of Sabin’s Pivoting in a Pandemic series, which captures stories of extraordinary leaders who are adapting to advance research and public health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brazil has always had a strong vaccination program and high rates of vaccine coverage. That is, until 2016 when coverage rates began to drop. Now in the midst of COVID-19, doctors and scientists are fighting an uphill battle to keep Brazil’s population vaccinated against preventable diseases.

Dr. Carla Domingues describes the innovative ways vaccination teams in Brazil are pivoting to keep people protected in a pandemic.

Carla A. S. Domingues, MPH, PhD, is an epidemiologist and served as coordinator of the National Immunization Program in Brazil from 2011 to 2019. Dr. Domingues earned her master’s degree in public health from the University of São Paulo and her doctorate in tropical medicine from the University of Brasília.