Since February 13, the Brazil Ministry of Health had deployed a task force to combat whooping cough, or pertussis in the Yanomami Territory in Roraima.
According to the health ministry, the actions have already reached seven base centers: Aratha-U, Haxiu, Maloca Paapiu, Parafuri, Parima, and Surucucu. The strategy adopted by the Ministry of Health prioritizes interrupting the chain of transmission through active epidemiological surveillance, investigation and diagnostic confirmation, collection of material for clinical analysis, and intensified vaccination.
Since the outbreak began on January 7, 16 cases of the disease have been identified and three deaths have been reported. Among the confirmed cases, four patients have already been discharged from the hospital. The remaining suspected cases and contacts continue to receive treatment and are being monitored by health teams.
Furthermore, timely chemoprophylaxis treatment is being offered, a therapeutic regimen used to interrupt transmission in people who have had close contact with suspected or confirmed cases, especially children under 1 year old and other individuals at higher risk.
Since the Ministry of Health declared a state of emergency to reverse the neglect left by the previous government in the Yanomami Territory , vaccination rates in the territory have increased significantly. Between 2022 and 2025, the percentage of children under one year old with a Complete Vaccination Schedule (CVS) practically doubled, going from 29.8% in 2022 to 57.8% in 2025.
Among children under five years old, the EVC (Epidemiological Survivorship Rate) grew by 39% during the same period, evolving from 52.9% in 2022 to 73.5% in 2025.