(WATCH) Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Require Childhood Vaccinations From Impoverished Families to Receive Government Aid

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said childhood vaccinations would be mandatory for parents to receive government assistance.

Based on Silva’s comments during a press conference, it appears the COVID-19 shot may be included among the list of vaccinations required by the program.

“If I have 10 COVID vaccines and 50 to take, I take as many as necessary, because I like my life,” Silva said.

“And I think everyone has to like their children’s lives, take the children at the right age. That’s why they say the Bolsa Familia is coming back, and the Bolsa Familia is coming back with something important. Because the Bolsa Familia is coming back with conditioning,” he explained.

“First, the children who will receive, children up to 6 years old will receive R$ 150 more. Second, the children have to be at school. If they’re not at school, the mother loses her child. Third, the children have to be vaccinated. If they’re not vaccinated, the mother also loses her child,” Silva said.

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The Rio Times reported:

During the transition, Senator Humberto Costa (PT) also made statements about the conditions of the Bolsa Família program.

Accompanied by the first lady, Rosangela da Silva, Janja, the health minister, Nísia Trindade, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, and governor Cláudio Castro (PL), Lula also said that the program would again require prenatal care for pregnant women when they are beneficiaries of the aid.

The president didn’t explain if the covid vaccine will also be required from children or just the doses of the traditional vaccines, which are part of the child vaccination calendar.

In one of his speeches, he mentioned both the vaccine against covid and the children’s vaccination campaign, which will have the return of Zé Gotinha and the participation of Xuxa Meneguel, Lula’s supporter in the electoral campaign.

“Now the Zé Gotinha campaign will begin. We can’t hesitate; we can’t play around. It is a question of science. If there are ten covid vaccines, 50 to take, I will take as many as necessary because I like my life. I think everyone has a duty to their children’s life, take them [to vaccinate] at the right age,” Lula said.

Health Minister Nísia Trindade also spoke but did not say which vaccines would be required.

“Vaccination is a child’s right,” Nísia declared about the requirement of proof of vaccination to receive Bolsa Família.

“Bolsa Familia is a social welfare program for the poorest families in Brazil,” The Rio Times stated.

The program is for families living in poverty or extreme poverty.

Read further information about the program at Inter-American Development Bank.

The Bolsa Família Program (BFP) in Brazil is a conditional cash transfer program with national coverage that aims to support families living in poverty or extreme poverty, as well as expanding access to education and health services. The program was created by the federal government in October 2003 and enshrined in law in January 2004.

In June 2015, the BFP served 13,827,369 beneficiary families, or roughly 25% of Brazil’s population. Despite its broad coverage, the program’s cost has relatively little impact on the public budget, since it equates to just 0.45% of Brazil’s gross domestic product.

In 2011, the program became part of the Brazil Without Poverty Plan, which aims to eradicate extreme poverty.In 2014, Bolsa Família was cited by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as one of the main strategies adopted by Brazil to defeat hunger.