Dengue Vaccine in SUS: Government publishes list of municipalities selected to receive doses of the vaccine
The vaccine will be administered to children and adolescents aged between 10 and 14 years in locations that have more than 100,000 inhabitants and have a high number of cases of type 2 dengue fever. Additionally, surrounding municipalities will also be covered with immunization.
Box of QDenga vaccine, immunizing against dengue, which will be distributed throughout the country - Photo Reproduction/Internet
The Ministry of Health released this Thursday (25) a list of 521 municipalities in 16 states in Brazil that will receive doses of the Dengue vaccine. This action is part of the ongoing efforts of the Unified Health System (SUS) to combat the spread of the disease and safeguard the population from the risks associated with the virus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The vaccine, now integrated into the SUS, will be distributed for use starting in February.
Brazil is the first country in the world to make the vaccine available in its public network, however, it faces the challenge arising from the shortage of doses. The Ministry of Health is scheduled to receive just over 6 million doses, 5.2 million of which were purchased from the Takeda laboratory and 1.3 million donated. Currently, the ministry's coverage is limited to just under 10% of the country's 5,565 municipalities, due to restrictions on the quantity of doses provided by the laboratory.
The number of individuals vaccinated against the disease will be reduced, as complete immunization requires two applications over a period of three months. This limitation occurs due to production capacity. Given this, the Ministry of Health needed to establish prioritization criteria for vaccination.
Priority group for vaccination
People aged 10 to 14 are among the people with the highest number of hospitalizations due to the disease.
Large municipalities -- which are those with more than 100 thousand inhabitants and classified as high transmission of type 2 dengue fever.
Cities near these locations have also been included in what the government calls "health regions."
Vaccination will not be applied to the elderly because it was not authorized by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
According to information from the Ministry of Health, the immunization process will begin in February, however, it will not follow a uniform standard. This is due to the dependence on the availability of doses, with the first units being received in the country last weekend. The expectation is that the total volume of vaccines purchased will be delivered by December. WAround 3.1 million people could be immunized next year. See the included municipalities using the button below.
Dengue in Brazil
Brazil faces constant challenges related to Dengue, a viral disease transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The incidence of the disease has significant impacts on public health, resulting in hospitalizations and even deaths. This year, there was a 170% increase in probable cases of dengue. According to information from the Ministry of Health, when comparing the first three weeks of January 2023 with the same period in 2024, probable cases jumped from 44,753 to 120,874. However, it is important to observe a reduction in the number of deaths, from 26 to 12 this year.
The Dengue Vaccine
Developed to combat the four serotypes of the Dengue virus, the vaccine made available by SUS represents a crucial tool in preventing this disease. Qdenga (TAK-003) is an immunizer against dengue created by the Japanese laboratory Takeda Pharma, whose registration was approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in March last year. The composition of the vaccine includes live attenuated dengue viruses, triggering effective immune responses against the four serotypes of the virus.
Since approval by Anvisa, private clinics have started to offer the vaccine Qdenga to their customers. Now, the vaccine is also part of the National Immunization Program (PNI), which includes vaccines provided free of charge by the SUS. Clinical investigations revealed that it is possible to observe reactions, in most cases, up to two days after administration. Documented responses ranged from mild to moderate and persisted for a period of 1 to 3 days. It is important to highlight that these reactions DO NOT make the vaccine contraindicated when applied in the correct audience.
Pain at the injection site was the most commonly reported reaction, occurring in 50% of cases, followed by headache (35%), muscle pain (31%), redness at the injection site (27%), malaise (24%), weakness (20%) and fever (11%). A decrease in the frequency of these reactions was observed after administration of the second dose of Qdenga.
Distribution
Distribution is based on epidemiological criteria, taking into account the incidence of the disease in each region. Municipalities with the highest prevalence and risk of outbreaks have priority in distribution, ensuring a targeted and effective approach. The areas were chosen based on three criteria: municipalities with a population of more than 100 thousand inhabitants, with a high incidence of dengue transmission recorded in the years 2023 and 2024, and with a significant prevalence of the DENV-2 serotype.
The decision was taken together with the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass) and the National Council of Municipal Health Secretariats (Conasems), bodies that represent states and municipalities in the context of the Unified Health System (SUS), following the guidelines from the Technical Advisory Chamber inImmunization (CTAI) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The distribution of doses will take place throughout the year, according to the schedule established by the manufacturer. The first shipment, consisting of approximately 757 thousand doses, arrived in Brazil last Saturday (20). This batch is part of a total of 1.32 million doses supplied by the pharmaceutical company. A next shipment, containing more than 460,000 doses, is scheduled to be delivered in February, followed by 470,000 doses in March, 1,650 million in May and August, 431,000 in September and 421,000 in November.
