In a context marked by scientific denialism and the growing politicization of health, it is essential to highlight successful public policies related to vaccination. Brazil offers important examples in this field, notably its historic fight against polio. By contrast, recent changes in childhood vaccination recommendations in the United States have reignited controversy and uncertainty, illustrating how immunization policies can be weakened when public trust in science is eroded.
It is against this backdrop that the article “The history of polio in Brazil and its control through immunization”, published in História, Ciências, Saúde – Manguinhos, becomes especially relevant. Written by André Luiz Vieira de Campos, Dilene Raimundo do Nascimento, and Eduardo Maranhão, the article examines the scientific, political, and institutional debates surrounding polio in Brazil throughout the twentieth century, tracing how different understandings of the disease and successive public health strategies were constructed.
The authors show how the introduction of new technologies — including vaccines, epidemiological surveillance, and laboratory diagnosis — shifted the discussion from a predominantly clinical arena to the field of public health, enabling the development of national disease-control policies. This process culminated in the creation of the National Vaccination Days, launched in 1980, a turning point that dramatically expanded vaccine coverage and reduced polio incidence in Brazil.
Throughout this trajectory, the article emphasizes that controlling polio was not merely a technical achievement. It depended on political decision-making, institutional coordination, and broad social mobilization. Public communication played a crucial role in this effort, symbolized by Zé Gotinha, a character who helped translate a complex public health policy into an accessible message and became an enduring icon of vaccination campaigns in Brazil.
By revisiting this history, the article offers valuable insights for current debates. It reminds us that successful immunization policies rely not only on scientific evidence, but also on effective governance and public trust — lessons that are especially important in times of misinformation and renewed challenges to vaccines.
