Brazilian authorities on Wednesday approved the world’s first single-dose vaccine against dengue fever, a development that Brazil hailed as “historic.”
Brazil’s National Health Supervision Authority (Anvisa) has approved the use of the “Butantan-DV” vaccine, developed by the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, for people between the ages of 12 and 59 years.
Until now, the only vaccine available against dengue fever in the world was TAK-003, which is given in two doses 3 months apart, according to the World Health Organization.
The new vaccine, which is administered in one dose, will contribute to accelerating and facilitating mass vaccination campaigns.
“This is a historic success in the fields of science and health in Brazil,” Esper Callas, director of the Butantan Institute, said at a press conference in Sao Paulo.
He added, “It has now become possible to fight the disease that has been affecting us for decades with a very powerful weapon.”
Health Minister Alexander Padilla explained that Brazil reached an agreement with the Chinese company WuXi to supply about 30 million doses in the second half of 2026.
The new vaccine was tested on more than 16,000 volunteers in 14 Brazilian states over a period of 8 years, and achieved an effectiveness of 91.6% against the most severe form of the disease.
Dengue fever, which is transmitted to humans by the tiger mosquito, can cause high fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, and skin rashes, and in rare cases it may be fatal.
Last year, Brazil recorded more than 6,000 deaths from dengue fever, nearly half the number of deaths reported in the world.