Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil will begin an immunization campaign against dengue in February after an increase in cases that put the government on alert, authorities reported.
First modification: 01/22/2024 – 22:37 Last modification: 01/22/2024 – 22:35
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The Brazilian Ministry of Health announced the arrival of a first shipment of the vaccine over the weekend, of a total of 6.5 million that it expects to receive in 2024.
“The first shipment with around 750,000 doses of the dengue vaccine that will be made available by the Unified Health System arrived in Brazil,” the ministry said in a statement.
The vaccine, called Qdenga and produced by the Japanese laboratory Takeda, was approved in December by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) of Brazil.
Other countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, as well as the European Union, also authorized it.
Brazil, with 203 million inhabitants, registered nearly 56,000 cases of dengue during the first two weeks of the year, double the number in the same period last year, according to official figures. Six people died from the disease.
In 2023 cases had already increased 57% compared to the previous year.
Brazil is the first country in the world that will offer the immunizer through the public health system.
The government plans to vaccinate 3.2 million people, who must receive two doses.
A second shipment with 570,000 doses will be received in February, the agency detailed.
The ministry said Monday that the reduced scope of the campaign is related to the drugmaker’s “limited” production capacity.
The vaccine will be administered to children between 10 and 14 years old, the age group with the highest number of hospitalizations due to dengue. Municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants with a high incidence of infections will also be prioritized.
The immunizer is also available in the private health network at a cost of between $80 and $100 per dose.
Dengue, transmitted by a mosquito, is a widespread virus in hot countries that causes between 100 and 400 million infections each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Severe forms are rare, but can be fatal.
By altering temperature and precipitation, climate change also aggravates infectious and parasitic diseases.
According to a recent report by The Lancet, dengue transmission could increase by 36% with global warming of 2°C by 2100.
© 2024 AFP
2024-01-22 21:37:07
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