Brazil: Yellow fever in Tocantins
Aware of the seasonal period of yellow fever transmission (December to May), and in view of a confirmed case of the disease in humans, which occurred in the city of Monte do Carmo, the State Department of Health (SES-TO) intensified surveillance actions and emphasizes the importance of vaccination as a preventive measure against the disease.
Arbovirus Surveillance Manager, Christiane Bueno Hundertmarck, explained that, “after the disease was confirmed, our team held a meeting with the municipal health department of Monte do Carmo. The online meeting also included the participation of the Ministry of Health and, at the time, we recommended actively searching for people who were not immunized and disseminating information so that the population is aware of the disease.”
Next week, the SES-TO Vector-Borne Disease and Zoonosis Surveillance Department will make a technical visit to Monte do Carmo to carry out an on-site investigation into the case.
Disease data
Between 2020 and 2025, three cases of yellow fever were confirmed in humans, of which one resulted in death. Two cases in 2022 occurred in the region between Peixe and São Salvador, in tourists, one of whom died. In January 2025, one case was confirmed, with the patient hospitalized and in stable clinical condition.
In Non-Human Primates (NHP) there were three confirmed cases in the same period from 2020 to 2025, one in 2022, in the municipality of Palmeirópolis and two, in 2024, in Buritirana, district of Palmas.
Immunization
Vaccination is one of the essential measures for preventing yellow fever and in 2024, vaccination coverage against the disease in Tocantins was 78.02%. The State Immunization Center has 24,690 doses of vaccines against the disease in stock and all 139 municipalities are adequately supplied to vaccinate the population.
The target audience for immunization are children (1 dose at 9 months and booster at 4 years), adolescents (who were not immunized in childhood) and adults up to 59 years old (single dose).