Brazil dengue vaccine: Brazil has approved the world’s first single-dose vaccine for dengue, a move officials are calling a landmark step in the fight against a disease that has surged to record levels worldwide as temperatures rise.
The country’s health regulator, ANVISA, cleared the vaccine, known as Butantan-DV and developed by the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, for use in people aged 12 to 59. Until now, the only dengue vaccine available globally has been TAK-003, which requires two doses given three months apart.
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The approval comes at a time when dengue infections are climbing sharply across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded more than 14.6 million cases and nearly 12,000 deaths in 2024, the highest ever reported. Brazil alone accounted for half of those deaths. Scientists say climate change has expanded the range of Aedes mosquitoes, enabling the virus to spread into regions, including parts of Europe and the United States, that rarely saw cases before.
The single-dose vaccine is the result of an eight-year clinical trial program involving more than 16,000 volunteers. It showed 91.6% effectiveness in preventing severe dengue, according to the Butantan Institute.
“This is a historic achievement for science and public health in Brazil,” said Esper Kallas, director of the institute. “A disease that has troubled us for decades can now be confronted with a very powerful tool.”
Health Minister Alexandre Padilha said Brazil has also reached a supply agreement with China’s WuXi Biologics to secure about 30 million doses in the second half of 2026, paving the way for large-scale vaccination campaigns.
Dengue, sometimes called “breakbone fever” because of its intense body pain, can develop into life-threatening hemorrhagic fever in severe cases. With a single-shot vaccine now approved, Brazilian authorities say they hope to speed up protection efforts as the country faces one of its most challenging dengue seasons on record.
