Brazil recorded 31,000 transplants in 2025, a historic record for the country. The figure represents a 21 percent increase compared to 2022, when 25,600 procedures were performed. The result reflects advances in the logistics and organization of the system nationwide, with strengthened institutional partnerships and expanded patient access to transplants.

The consolidation of interstate distribution, coordinated by the National Transplant Center, has been decisive in this process. In 2025, this strategy enabled 867 kidney, 375 liver, 100 heart, 25 lung, and four pancreas transplants, helping address clinical priorities and reduce the loss of organs more sensitive to ischemia time.

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The results also reflect the joint effort between the Ministry of Health, airlines, and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) to ensure the rapid transport of organs and procurement and transplant teams. In 2025, 4,808 flights were carried out - a 22 percent increase compared to 2022 - helping ensure that organs arrive at their destination on time, increasing the chances of successful transplantation and saving more lives across the country.

There was also an increase in the number of organ procurement teams, which helped expand the pool of potential donors. The number of professionals rose from 1,537 in 2022 to 1,600 in 2026.

Despite these advances, a major challenge remains: family refusal of organ donation. Today, about 45 percent of families do not authorize donation, limiting the number of transplants that could be performed. It is a decision made during a difficult time, marked by grief and emotional distress. That is why discussing the topic with family members makes a difference. When a person’s wish to be a donor is known, the decision becomes easier and can help save other lives.

The Ministry of Health has been investing in improvements to the National Transplant System (SNT). Among the initiatives is the National Program for Quality in Organ and Tissue Donation for Transplants (Prodot), which trains healthcare professionals to identify potential donors, conduct supportive interviews with families, and ensure the quality of the entire donation process.

Procedures

Corneal transplants were the most common in 2025, with 17,790 procedures. They were followed by kidney (6,697), bone marrow (3,993), liver (2,573), and heart transplants (427). In all cases, Brazil’s public healthcare network, the SUS, provides patients with all necessary care free of charge, including preoperative tests, surgery, follow-up care, and post-transplant medication.

The SUS funds approximately 86 percent of transplants in Brazil, ensuring free and universal access. To guarantee high-quality care, the Ministry of Health also allocated additional funds to the National Transplant System (SNT) in 2025. While investment in 2022 totaled BRL 1.1 billion, federal funding reached BRL 1.5 billion last year, a 37 percent increase.

Brazil’s Ministry of Health expects to administer more than 89,000 vaccine doses across 650 indigenous villages from April 25 to May 25, 2026. During this period, the 2026 Indigenous Peoples’ Vaccination Month (MVPI) will take place, with the goal of expanding access to immunization in indigenous territories, especially in hard-to-reach areas. Last year, over 70,000 doses were administered, reaching 57,000 indigenous people.

The 2026 campaign was announced Monday (Apr. 13) by the Secretary of Indigenous Health, Lucinha Tremembé, in Barão do Rio Branco village, located in Mâncio Lima, Acre state. Three ethnic groups - Puyanawa, Nukini, and Nawa - live in the municipality, totaling about 2,000 indigenous people.

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According to the secretary, launching the campaign in a territory with longstanding access challenges is a strategic and necessary decision.

“Our goal is to expand vaccination in areas with low coverage, ensuring that information is communicated clearly and respectfully and that the population understands the importance of immunization for individual and collective protection,” said Tremembé.

During Vaccination Month, all 19 vaccines included in the National Immunization Schedule, including the COVID-19 vaccine, will be offered.

The initiative has been held since 2010 and is part of the 24th Vaccination Week in the Americas and the 15th World Immunization Week, which begin on April 25 and run through May 2.

Coordinated by the Secretariat of Indigenous Health (SESAI), the campaign strengthens protection against vaccine-preventable diseases and helps reinforce primary care through the active search for indigenous people who have not yet been vaccinated.

The Ministry of Health this week released a new report on the situation of indigenous peoples in the Yanomami territory in Roraima, the country’s largest indigenous territory. It recorded an 80.8 percent reduction in malaria-related deaths between January 2023 and the end of 2025, after the Brazilian government declared a Public Health Emergency of National Importance (ESPIN) to address the humanitarian crisis caused by the invasion of illegal gold miners.

The report cites a 75.9 percent increase in the number of tests conducted through active case finding. Testing for the disease also rose from 144,986 to 257,930 in 2025.

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Deaths from malnutrition fell by a significant 53.2 percent between 2023 and 2025. During the same period, the share of children under five with adequate weight increased from 45.4 percent to 53.8 percent, according to the report.

There was an increase in the number of children receiving regular follow-up care from health teams, rising from 70.1 percent to 85.1 percent. Severe malnutrition also declined, with the share of children who were severely underweight falling from 24.2 percent to 15.2 percent during the period.

The number of consultations for acute respiratory infections increased by 254 percent between 2023 and 2025. As a result, the disease’s case fatality rate fell by 76 percent, while the number of deaths declined by 16.7 percent since the start of the Public Health Emergency response.

Vaccines

In the area of immunization, the Ministry of Health confirmed a 40 percent increase in the number of doses administered in 2025 compared with 2023, rising from 31,999 to 44,754. The percentage of children under one year of age with a complete vaccination schedule more than doubled during the period, rising from 27 percent in 2023 to 60.6 percent in 2025. Among children under five, the rate grew from 47.4 percent to 78.3 percent, reflecting stronger routine vaccination efforts.

According to the Ministry’s Secretary of Indigenous Health, Lucinha Tremembé, the results reflect expanded access to healthcare in the territory, reaffirming the government’s commitment to protecting lives and promoting the health of indigenous peoples.

“We are making steady progress in improving health in the Yanomami territory, with a reduction in deaths and, above all, in deaths from preventable causes such as malnutrition and malaria. These results reflect the current administration’s ongoing effort to strengthen the Brazilian government’s presence, ensuring comprehensive, high-quality care that respects the cultural specificities of indigenous peoples,” she noted.

Health services

Among the advances highlighted by the Brazilian government is the expansion of the healthcare workforce in the territory. Since the start of the health emergency, the number of professionals has more than tripled, rising from 690 to over 2,130 workers deployed directly in villages, at the Indigenous Health Center (CASAI) in Boa Vista, and within the facilities of the Yanomami Special Indigenous Health District.

In the area of infrastructure, the Yanomami Center for Emergency Public Health Operations highlighted the completion of 261 interventions in water supply systems, along with the installation of more than 1,400 filters, helping expand access to safe water.

The government also installed 61 solar energy systems and upgraded health facilities, strengthening the foundation for primary care in the territory.

Another important milestone during the national emergency period was the renovation and expansion of the Indigenous Health Reference Center (CRSI) at the Surucucu base camp, deep inside the territory.

Since its restructuring, the facility - which serves as a reference point within the indigenous territory - has provided 4,374 outpatient consultations. Of these, 2,081 were laboratory tests and 328 were ultrasound exams. The facility serves 48 communities and handles most patient transfers to higher-capacity healthcare facilities in the region.

“This specialized infrastructure has helped improve clinical management, strengthen community ties, and streamline care pathways,” the Ministry of Health said in the statement.