Brazil dengue cases near 1 million, Chikungunya vaccine receives authorization
Dengue fever
The Brazil Ministry of Health reports nearly 1 million probable dengue cases through April 15.
According to official data, Brazil has seen 998,664 total probable dengue cases, including 634 deaths. Another 735 deaths are under investigation.
Sao Paulo state leads the way reporting 578,937 cases, or 58 percent of the total cases. This is followed by Minas Gerais with 107,661 and Parana state with 79,341 cases.
Of the total cases reported, 666,020 are confirmed (66%).
Chikungunya vaccine
On Monday, vaccine company, Valneva announced that the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) has granted marketing authorization to its single-dose vaccine IXCHIQ® for the prevention of disease caused by the chikungunya virus in individuals 18 years of age and older. The ANVISA decision marks the world’s first approval of a chikungunya vaccine in an endemic country.
IXCHIQ® is the world’s first licensed chikungunya vaccine available to address this significant unmet medical need. In addition to Brazil, IXCHIQ® is approved for the prevention of disease caused by the chikungunya virus in people aged 12 years and older in the EU, and in people aged 18 years and older in the United States (U.S.), Canada and the United Kingdom (U.K.). Label extension applications to adolescents were submitted in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
Valneva and Instituto Butantan are working together to ensure fast access to its chikungunya vaccines for the Brazilian market and other countries in the region as quickly as possible. The Americas saw nearly 300,000 chikungunya cases and 300 deaths attributed to the virus between January and July 2023, totaling more than 720,000 cases since 2020. Brazil has reported the highest number of cases, with over 1 million total between January 2019 and July 2024.