Health officials say anti-vaccine messages have yet to dent Portugal’s childhood immunisation rates, but warn that clearer communication is needed to counter online misinformation and identify pockets of unvaccinated people.
Anti-vaccination messages continue to circulate loudly on social media, but Portugal’s health authorities say the wider public response has so far held firm. In an interview with Diário de Notícias, Rita Sá Machado, the director-general of health, said the challenge is not only misinformation itself but the difficulty of communicating health advice in a way that people can understand and use. She said the Directorate-General of Health has tried to become more direct and more present online, working with doctors and other communicators who can translate scientific information into plain language.
That approach matters because vaccine decisions in childhood are usually made by parents, often while they are trying to separate reliable advice from emotional or misleading posts. Hugo Rodrigues, a paediatrician and head of paediatrics at Viana do Castelo Hospital, told Diário de Notícias that science often loses out online when it relies on facts alone. Mónica Cró Braz, who coordinates paediatrics at CUF Tejo, said families may feel overwhelmed by contradictory information from sources that are not trustworthy, which can feed anxiety and delay vaccination. Both stressed that the youngest children are the most vulnerable, particularly in the first years of life, when immunity is still developing.
For now, the numbers suggest the anti-vaccine message has not broken out of its online echo chamber. The Directorate-General of Health says it regularly publishes vaccination reports through its National Vaccination Programme pages, including the annual Boletim Vacinação, which compiles data supplied by the regional health administrations and Portugal’s autonomous regions. Those reports show national childhood coverage remains very high, with around 98% to 99% of children in their first year receiving all vaccines and doses scheduled under the programme, and coverage among children up to six years of age above the 95% threshold considered necessary for strong population protection. The latest DGS material also lists the 2025 annual report of the vaccination programme.
Machado said the authorities are still alert, particularly in light of measles outbreaks abroad, and are looking more actively for pockets of unvaccinated people. She argued that vaccine scepticism often grows because successful immunisation makes the diseases themselves harder to remember. That is why, she said, people who have questions should seek answers from trusted health sources rather than from the content that dominates their feeds. The message from Portugal’s public health leadership is clear: the online noise is real, but it has not yet changed the country’s vaccination culture, and officials intend to keep it that way.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
