Publication date: 04.01.2024 08:00
An Aedes aegypti mosquito seen through a microscope. Photo source: Profimedia Images
The city of Dourados in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul began on Wednesday the first mass vaccination against the Dengue virus, spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the Brazilian authorities announced. Reuters.
The initiative aims to vaccinate around 150,000 city residents between the ages of 4 and 59 using the recently approved Japanese drugmaker Takeda’s QDENGA vaccine.
Distribution began on Wednesday of the first batch of 90,000 doses already delivered by the Japanese laboratory as part of an agreement with the city. The vaccination schedule requires a second dose in three months.
Dengue infection, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, causes an illness that can be mild or more severe, sometimes leading to death. Symptoms include muscle weakness, drowsiness, refusal of food and liquids, vomiting and diarrhea.
By the end of the first week of December, Brazil had recorded 1.6 million dengue cases in 2023, a 15.8 percent increase from the same period last year, according to Health Ministry data. The number of deaths from the infection rose by 5.4% over the period to 1,053.
Last month, the country’s health ministry announced it would include Takeda’s vaccine in its public health system’s national vaccination program, known locally by the acronym “SUS.”
The vaccine will not initially be widely used nationally, given its limited supply, but will focus on priority groups and regions.
The country expects to receive another 5.08 million doses of the vaccine between February and November.
Editor :
M.I.
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2024-01-04 06:00:32
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