Objective:

to describe the knowledge adolescents of ninth grade of public schools have about vaccines, vaccine-preventable diseases and transmissible diseases.

Method:

epidemiological cross-sectional and descriptive study, developed with 605 adolescents of 22 public schools in a municipality of large size of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Results:

the sources of information most cited by adolescents about transmissible infections and forms of prevention were: school (65.1 %), mass communication (48.4 %), and father and mother (29.9 %). Regarding knowledge of vaccine-preventable diseases/infections, 61.5 % of the adolescents referred the yellow fever (EA), and 5.6 % referred human papillomavirus (HPV). In addition, 60.7 % reported to have been vaccinated against infantile paralysis, 56 % against the EA and 5 % against HPV. Average immunization coverage identified in data collection was 45.1 %, rising to 91 % after the vaccination. Considering the answers of adolescents about vaccines existing in the card and those which had already been applied, Kappa analysis showed a substantial match in relation to the EA vaccine, and moderate match among all other vaccines.

Conclusion:

it was evident disinformation of adolescents about immunization, transmissible diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases, and low coverage of vaccination (41%). Communication/information in health were effective in the decision of adolescents about being vaccinated, increasing immunization coverage (91%).

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