Brazil suspends dengue vaccine rollout after three severe adverse cases

Three serious adverse events among primary‑care health workers who received the Butantan dengue vaccine have been reported in Brazil. Two of the cases resulted in death and the third required intensive‑care treatment, prompting the Ministry of Health to temporarily halt the vaccination campaign while investigations continue. The Ministry said the three severe cases occurred among professionals, not in the mass‑vaccination sites, and emphasized that no causal link has been confirmed. A joint inquiry by the Ministry, ANVISA, Butantan and independent experts will examine the 42 reported severe reactions out of roughly 500,000 doses administered.

The suspension aims to ensure safety while the Interinstitutional Committee on Pharmacovigilance evaluates the findings. The vaccine had been given mainly to health‑care workers and, in separate mass‑vaccination drives, to residents of several states, but no deaths were recorded there.