New Delhi: Dengue is one of the most feared vector-borne diseases which has been tormenting several countries in Africa, South America and Asia, including India.
The only dengue vaccine available worldwide is TAK-003, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It requires two doses to be administered three months apart.
In a most encouraging news, a second vaccine may soon be available to prevent dengue after it was approved by Brazil.
ANVISA, Brazil’s health regulatory agency, recently authorised the use of Butantan-DV, developed by the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo, for people aged 12 to 59.
Developed after eight years of trials across Brazil, the single-dose vaccine will ensure faster and simpler vaccination campaigns.
“This is a historic achievement for science and health in Brazil. A disease that has plagued us for decades can now be fought with a very powerful weapon,” Esper Kallas, director of Butantan Institute, a public research centre, told a press conference in Sao Paulo.
The new vaccine showed 91.6 per cent efficacy against severe dengue during the clinical trials involving over 16,000 volunteers.
Dengue, characterised by intense flu-like symptoms, extreme fatigue and body aches, can lead to haemorrhagic fever in severe cases, and death.
The disease is transmitted by infected Aedes mosquitoes, which have expanded beyond their known areas, with dengue cases being recently found even in Europe and parts of the US.
WHO reported more than 14.6 million cases of dengue and 12,000 deaths globally in 2024, the most ever recorded.
In India, however, the number of cases and deaths have come down in the last two years. According to data by National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control, under the Union Ministry for Health & Family Welfare, dengue cases decreased from 2.89 lakh in 2023 to 2.33 lakh in 2024, while deaths were down from 485 to 297. In 2025, the figures are even more encouraging with 49,573 cases and 49 deaths reported thus far.
