Dengue vaccine clears first hurdle in Brazil

Brazil’s national biosafety committee this week approved the safety of a dengue vaccine manufactured by Japanese firm Takeda Pharma. The committee evaluates products and technologies that contain genetically modified organisms, assessing their safety for the environment, animals, and humans.

The approval came after two years of discussions. During analysis, the committee requested studies demonstrating the product’s safety, after which it allowed clinical trials to take place, which will happen under the supervision of Brazil’s federal health regulator Anvisa.

Over 1,000 people died from the mosquito-borne disease in 2022, a new record. The number of dengue cases inched closer to the 1.5-million mark, up by 162 percent from the previous year.

Experts say 2022 brought a combination of different factors that contributed to the spike. In addition to the disease’s seasonality (with peaks at intervals of three to five years), there were periods with heavy rains and high temperatures, creating an environment conducive to the proliferation of mosquitoes.

The Covid pandemic also affected prevention actions, with delays in delivering larvicides and material for spraying certain areas.

While the increase in cases was most severe in the Center-West, there has been an uncharacteristic spike in the South, where lower temperatures typically prevent the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the disease. 

• Read more: Why is Brazil haunted by mosquito-borne diseases?

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