Time trend in vaccination coverage influenza in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

INTRODUCTION: Vaccination coverage against influenza has been monitored to evaluate the access, the adherence to the vaccine and the disease burden after the annual vaccination of the elderly in Brazil, State of Rio de Janeiro and its capital city. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the trend in vaccination coverage with influenza vaccine, separated for State of Rio de Janeiro, its capital and Brazil over a period of 12 years. METHODS: Rates were calculated through secondary data from Datasus. Vaccination coverages for influenza vaccine for Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil were performed in the period of 1999-2010. Trends were analyzed through polynomial regression. RESULTS: Analysis of trends in influenza vaccination coverages showed a decrease in the three levels analyzed. It was observed that the capital city constantly maintains coverages at lower levels than the state, as the same behavior of the national vaccination coverage. CONCLUSION: The results showed a decrease in the country, State of Rio de Janeiro and especially in the state capital in the period analyzed. Many factors may be associated with this fall, highlighting the quality of the registration of doses, the imprecision of estimates of population data provided by the IBGE for groups with more than 60 years old and increasing population heterogeneity.