National Meningitis Vaccination Day: MSP agenda opens Monday, August 17

Uruguay's Ministry of Public Health (MSP) is launching a national vaccination campaign against meningitis, aiming to inoculate children and adolescents aged 9 to 15. This initiative follows the successful vaccination of over 31,000 individuals within this age group.

The campaign is scheduled for Thursday, August 20. In Montevideo, two mass vaccination centers will be established at the Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay (LATU) and the Auditorio Nacional del SODRE, offering a combined total of 10,000 appointment slots. Similarly, the department of Canelones will have 11 vaccination posts with 5,000 available spots. Appointments will be mandatory for both Montevideo and Canelones to manage the expected volume of attendees.

For the rest of the country, vaccinations will proceed without the need for prior appointments, with extended hours at various locations including Departmental Health Directorates, public and private healthcare provider polyclinics, and shopping centers. The MSP will provide specific details on locations and times for each department later.

The MSP also clarified that this national campaign will not affect or cancel any previously scheduled August appointments. The vaccination strategy against meningococcal disease will continue on August 24 in schools and high schools, with a focus on centers identified as having greater access difficulties.

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This modality responds to the volume of population included in the strategy in both departments and will allow for orderly attendance at the different vaccination points.