Representative
Sabrina Ajmechet
will present this Saturday a bill with the aim of incorporating
vaccination against the
dengue virus
free and mandatory
into the National Vaccination Calendar in Argentina.
The proposal focuses on immunizing all people who have previously contracted the virus.
The project indicates the integration into the National Vaccination Calendar, "on a free and mandatory basis", of the complete immunization scheme against the dengue virus.
The target is
"all HIV-positive people who have previously contracted the virus",
according to priorities established by the Ministry of Health.
In the initiative, Ajmechet maintains that it is an essential preventive measure, to avoid serious cases of the disease and reduce the risk of death.
Vaccination will be done with "the best technology available at the time of application."
The dengue vaccine arrived in Argentina last November.
It is applied in two doses with an interval of three months and protects against the 4 serotypes of dengue for at least five years without the need for boosters.
At the time of its launch, it was priced at $37,514 per dose.
With the new guidelines,
the State and prepaid companies would have to cover it.
Sabrina Ajmechet, the deputy who promotes mandatory and free vaccination against dengue.
Photo Federico López Claro
The presentation that Ajmechet will make also seeks to extend immunization against the dengue virus to
specific groups
recommended in the technical guidelines, as well as to incorporate future modifications that are available in this regard.
In Argentina, the year 2023 was a record in cases of dengue.
139,946 records of this viral infection, transmitted by Aedes aegypti, were reported.
Additionally, 75 people died from the disease.
In the fundamentals, the deputy highlights the
lack of a specific treatment for the virus
and underlines the importance of prevention, especially for those who have already suffered from the disease.
She emphasizes that people who contract the disease a second time face an increased risk of suffering from "
severe dengue
," with
potentially life-threatening
consequences .
In this context, Ajmechet calls on his peers to support the project, highlighting his commitment to the health and comprehensive well-being of the population.
The first-person experience of the deputy who promotes vaccination against dengue
On her social networks, the national legislator from Together for Change told what motivated her to present this project.
In her Twitter profile, she reported that ten years ago
she was bitten by dengue
without knowing at that time what the disease was about and how to treat it: "
I never felt so bad in my life
," she said.
He also said that once he was cured, the doctors gave him only one indication: "Use off, try not to get infected again because the dengue hemorrhagic fever of the second infection
is much more serious
."
I had dengue almost 10 years ago, when CABA did not know what it was or how to follow up.
I never felt so bad in my life and when they discharged me they could only tell me: use it off, try not to get infected again because the dengue hemorrhagic fever of the second...
— Sabrina Ajmechet (@ajmechet) January 19, 2024
He lived this way for the last decade until, as he said, this Friday he managed to access the vaccine: "
It is not accessible
and all of us who had dengue have to get it."
And he concluded: "Tomorrow a bill is coming out to include it within the mandatory calendar for those who suffered from the disease,
prepaid and the State must cover it
."
His message was filled with responses from dozens of people who also shared their experiences.
They also pointed out the economic difficulty and lack of information to access the vaccine.