$70.5 Million Funds Dengue Vaccination Campaign in Brazil

To help reduce the number of Dengue fever infections, the Brazilian Ministry of Health recently launched a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting approximately 1.2 million frontline healthcare professionals.

The Butantan-DV vaccine is the world's first single-dose Dengue vaccine, developed by the Instituto Butantan in São Paulo. It is a third-generation vaccine that protects people against all four Dengue virus serotypes and is approved for individuals aged 12 to 59.

To kick off the campaign on February 9, 2026, 650,000 doses have been distributed nationwide, with more shipments planned. In Sergipe, the campaign is expected to benefit 18,200 healthcare professionals, with 7,900 doses.

With an investment of R$ 368 million ($70.5 million USD), the government has secured 3.9 million doses initially, with plans to increase production through partnerships, aiming to deliver up to 30 million doses in the second half of 2026.

Vaccination for the general population is expected to start later in 2026.

"Vaccination is starting with the entire multidisciplinary team registered with the Brazilian Public Health System. These are the people who knock on doors, visit people's homes, check for mosquito breeding grounds, provide follow-up care, and carry out mobilization efforts. They are also the professionals who are at the first point of contact when there are cases of Dengue fever," highlighted the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, in a press release.

This initiative is essential, as Brazil has already reported more than 133,000 probable Dengue cases and 8 related fatalities in 2026. 

In Europe, no Dengue cases have been reported in 2026, excluding the outermost regions, such as Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Réunion.

The primary way to combat mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika remains the elimination of breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, as the U.S. CDC notes.

In addition to these diseases, the CDC has issued travel alerts for Measles and Oropouche outbreaks in Brazil. 

As of February 16, 2026, the Butantan-DV vaccine is unavailable in the USA.