First Large-Scale Dengue Vaccination Campaign Launches in Brazilian City

Dourados, a city in Brazil, just started a big plan to vaccinate lots of people against dengue. They want to give this shot to about 150,000 people who live there and are between 4 and 59 years old. They’re using a new vaccine made by a Japanese company called Takeda.

This vaccine will be given in two doses, and the first batch of 90,000 doses arrived already. The plan is to give people the second dose three months after the first one.

Dengue is a sickness that mosquitoes can pass to people, and it can be mild or very serious. It might make you feel weak, sleepy, or not want to eat or drink. Sometimes, it can even lead to death.

In Brazil, there were 1.6 million cases of dengue by December last year, and that’s a lot more than before. Over 1,000 people died because of it.

The government wants to use this new vaccine in the whole country, but there aren’t enough doses yet. So, for now, they’ll give it to people who really need it the most. They’re planning to get more doses later in the year.

Source: Reuters