During the 2018 campaign, President Jair Bolsonaro promised to reduce the size of the Brazilian state by slashing the number of government workers by 30 percent. A survey by news website Poder360 shows that he is far from hitting the goal, having cut just 7 percent of federal government jobs. However, what is puzzling is that no department has shrunk more than the Health Ministry — which lost 18 percent of its workers, despite having to face an epoch-defining pandemic.

Brazil's Health Ministry Monday launched an awareness campaign on monkeypox, to inform the population about transmission, contagion, and symptoms of the malady.

Under the motto “Monkey Pox: Get Well with the Right Information,” the Ministry of Health launched Monday in Brasilia the National Campaign for the Prevention of the disease to make the population aware of the transmission, infection, symptoms, and prevention. The initiative includes tips on what to do when monkeypox is suspected.

Over 41,500 cases of the disease have been registered worldwide. In Brazil, according to the data from August 21, there were 3,788 confirmed infections.

The new campaign warns that the main form of prevention is to avoid contact with infected people or contaminated objects, such as cups, cutlery, sheets, and towels.

[Image description: Marcelo Queiroga in a press conference.]

Queiroga cited the error in an interview with the radio Jovem Pan, when asked by a commentator on the station about the suffering of "numerous families who are victims of the adverse effects of vaccines".

"We have at the Health Surveillance Secretariat registered 1.7 deaths for every 100,000 doses applied.”, said the minister. “This amounts to about 4,000 deaths where there is evidence of a causal relationship with the application of the vaccine. Whenever you adopt a strategy like this, of mass vaccination, you have to weigh risks and benefits."

However, n an epidemiological bulletin published at the end of November 2021, with data compiled up to that month, the Ministry of Health pointed out 11 deaths related to vaccine reactions, after 325.71 million vaccine doses have been applied (and at least 159 million people receiving the first dose).

The minister also claimed in the interview that the pandemic is under control and that the omicron variant still does not put pressure on the health system as in previous moments.

When asked by journalists, he repeated the 4,000 deaths claim. When asked a second time, he admitted the number was wrong and refers instead to cases still under investigation. However, at least up until the night of January 15th 2022 (four days previous to this post), he’s posted no correction in his social media, despite it feeding anti-vaccination discourse online.

Brazil´s Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga announced on Monday (Aug. 1) via Twitter that the country will receive, through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the antiviral drug Tecovirimat to «strengthen the fight against the monkeypox outbreak. More serious cases will be considered at first,» he said, Agencia Brasil reports.

Tecovirimat has been offered as a «compassionate use» option in the United States. However, there are still no data demonstrating the effectiveness of this antiviral drug for the monkeypox treatment.

[Image description: Marcelo Queiroga.]

The Brazilian Government of President Jair Bolsonaro, known for his personal stance in favor of freedom of choice regarding COVID-19 vaccination, has announced arriving travelers who have not been immunized will be put through mandatory quarantine.

Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga made the announcement and refused to describe the measure as “a vaccine passport.” In addition to the isolation time, unvaccinated individuals with be required to undergo a PCR test.

Queiroga also explained that those who are indeed vaccinated must produce their certificates attesting to that condition plus a negative PCR test prior to traveling. He also explained the measure will be implemented through an inter-ministerial resolution which will include all borders (land, air and sea).

[Image description: Marcelo Queiroga applying a shot to a woman in a vaccination drive in João Pessoa, in the state of Paraíba.]

Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said this afternoon that the return of in-person classes in schools should not be affected by pupils’ vaccination status — contradicting the consensus among the country’s leading health experts.

According to Mr. Queiroga, distance learning “already harmed our children in 2020 and 2021,” and making vaccination a prerequisite to returning to classes would mean “harming them again.”

The statement comes a few days after Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa greenlit the use of Pfizer vaccines on children aged 5 to 11. According to new studies, more than 300 children died due to coronavirus complications in 2021, and the total could reach 800.