Child health vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and Portugal.
Ivone Evangelista Cabral, Márcia Pestana-Santos, Lia Leão Ciuffo and 2 others
PMID 34231787WHAT IT FOUND
Brazil suspended routine child vaccinations for three weeks and paused growth surveillance, while Portugal maintained vaccination schedules but saw lower attendance due to fear.
Both countries shifted to teleconsultations and home visits to monitor high-risk children and prevent gaps in care.
Key findings
01In Brazil, routine vaccination was postponed for three weeks nationally to decrease contacts, whereas Portugal maintained active vaccination services despite low parental demand.
02Both countries adopted strategies to monitor children with special health care needs and flu syndrome through teleconsultation, telephone follow-up, and home visits rather than routine in-person primary care.
03Portugal synchronized growth and development surveillance consultations with vaccination days to minimize clinic visits, while Brazil suspended routine consultations and expanded working hours for urgent care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study analyzes government documents only and does not include data from service managers, health workers, or families, so it reflects policy intent rather than actual implementation or outcomes. It does not report clinical outcomes, such as whether these strategies successfully prevented disease or mortality in the child population.
Declared interests
The paper does not state any conflicts of interest or funding sources for this specific analysis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these policy changes as evidence of clinical efficacy. This paper reports what governments advised during the pandemic; it does not measure whether children were healthier or if these strategies worked.