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This article presents the results of a study on health professionals' perceptions of childhood vaccine hesitancy related to COVID-19. Based on the theoretical construct of vaccine hesitancy, a qualitative study was conducted with 86 primary health care (PHC) workers in four municipalities in four Brazilian states and in the Federal District. A thematic analysis was performed and three categories were obtained: fear, misinformation about vaccines, and the role of health professionals. Fear as a reason for vaccine hesitancy has led to reflections on the Brazilian Federal Government's management of the pandemic, especially regarding governability and the consequences of the use of digital platforms on the population. Fear was related to the vaccine still being perceived as experimental; to the adverse reactions it may cause; to the lack of long-term studies; to the false perception of reduced risk of COVID-19 in children; and to the Federal Government's behavior, which creates uncertainty about the effects of the vaccine. Vaccine misinformation was related to fake news about the vaccine and its reactions; the phenomenon of infodemic and misinformation; and the lack of guidance and knowledge about vaccines. Finally, the article discusses the fundamental role of PHC workers in increasing vaccination coverage due to the trust among the population and proximity to the territories, factors that enable the reversal of fear and misinformation about vaccines. Throughout the study, authors' sought to show the convergences between the content of the themes outlined and the determinants of vaccine hesitancy and to consider possibilities for rebuilding high adherence to childhood vaccines.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic had a sanitary, psychosocial, and economic impact on individuals of reproductive age. The primary concern revolved around infection during pregnancy due to possible vertical transmission and its association with adverse fetal and infant outcomes, known as Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). This qualitative study employs phenomenology and grounded theory. This study includes interviews with 98 women, some pregnant during the ZIKV epidemic in Brazil, Colombia, and Puerto Rico, who had children with CZS or without diagnosed neurological impairment. Additionally, the study included a group of women who were pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic in these same countries. In both groups, interviewees had varying levels of knowledge about ZIKV. The study found that messages conveyed through the media tended to be alarmist, in contrast to the information provided by healthcare professionals, which was considered more trustworthy. Pregnant women during the ZIKV epidemic reported receiving their ZIKV and CSZ infection diagnoses late, either during or after childbirth. The study underscores the needs of pregnant women in high-risk scenarios, the importance of health education processes, and the necessity to reinforce communication and continuing education.

The COVID-19 pandemic reached Brazil in a context of political and economic crises that have exacerbated existing inequalities and vulnerabilities. Individuals and organizations undertook actions to support others to mitigate the pandemic effects. Thirty-four interviews were conducted from October to November 2020 to identify the supportive actions to help others, analyzing them concerning (pandemic) solidarity. Solidarity and individualism frequently appeared in the interviews as qualifiers of such actions. Furthermore, we identified three cores in which these actions were staged: the family, the condominium, and the community. The family was mentioned as mutual support based on kinship. On the other hand, condominium actions were subdivided into intramural (mutual support actions among similar people) and extramural actions (which reveal the differentiation between the condominium and more impoverished places). The community emerges as a more powerful type of action, with self-management, mutual support, and shared vulnerability experiences. In this sense, the results encourage us to understand solidarity as a way of transforming society, regardless of the State's presence.