Brazil’s Ministry of Health and the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) suspended a mass vaccination campaign using a new dengue vaccine developed by a Brazilian biomedical research center after severe adverse events, including deaths, were associated with certain batches of the vaccine. Authorities have opened an investigation into the incidents while continuing to assess the vaccine’s safety profile.
The vaccine known as Butantan-DV, developed by the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, is the world’s first single-dose dengue vaccine.1 It is a single-dose, live-attenuated, tetravalent vaccine against all four strains of the mosquito-borne dengue virus.2 It uses a genetically modified dengue virus with limited replication capacity and is used in both seropositive individuals with dengue antibodies and seronegative individuals without dengue antibodies.3
Dengue is one of the country’s most significant mosquito-borne viral diseases. Symptoms include high fever; joint, bone and muscle pain; sudden high blood pressure; severe headaches; and hemorrhages (bleeding) that can cause death.4 Public health authorities recommend the elimination of mosquito breeding sites as the primary preventive measure.5
Brazil Approved the New One-Dose Dengue Vaccine in 2015
The vaccine received approval from Brazilian regulators in late 2015 and was rolled out for mass vaccination in January of this year, with priority given to healthcare professionals and people living in areas heavily affected by dengue. The public health campaign was celebrated as milestone for Latin America, as a single-dose vaccine significantly speeds up and simplifies mass vaccination efforts compared to traditional multi-dose options.6
Qdenga (TAK-003), another dengue vaccine produced by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, still remains available in Brazil. However, limited manufacturing capacity and its two-dose schedule have constrained supply, restricting widespread vaccination efforts in both endemic and non-endemic regions.7
Health Authorities Investigate Suspected Dengue Vaccine Deaths
Between January and May 2026, health care workers administered the vaccine to 501,044 individuals. Among these recipients, 3,703 people reported symptoms similar to dengue fever itself. The Ministry of Health also tracked 42 individuals who experienced very severe adverse reactions.8 These patients experienced intense and persistent abdominal pain and vomiting, as well as bleeding (hemorrhages).9
Public health records show that these serious adverse reactions resulted in the deaths of a 48-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man. A third patient, a 38-year-old woman, required intensive care treatment following vaccination but has since recovered.10
The government initiated the temporary suspension of the vaccine campaign to allow surveillance teams to evaluate the medical histories and risk factors associated with these severe adverse event cases. Health Minister Alexandre Padilha emphasized that the government ordered the halt to the mass vaccination campaign strictly as a preventative warning signal to protect the public. During a press conference, Padilha stated that authorities currently lack conclusive data to establish a definitive cause-and-effect link between the single-dose dengue vaccine and these deaths.
Brazilian government health officials said that the 42 recorded severe adverse events represent a very small statistical proportion of the half-million citizens who have been vaccinated so far.11
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Click here to view References:1 Agência O Globo – Brasília. Brazil suspends Butantan dengue vaccine, recalls batches. Valor International June 8, 2026.
2 Kallás E et al. Live, Attenuated, Tetravalent Butantan–Dengue Vaccine in Children and Adults. NEJM 2024; 390(5).
3 BEACON. Butantan dengue vaccine temporarily suspended in Brazil after two deaths and 42 severe adverse events among 500 000 recipients. June 8, 2026.
4 Mayo Clinic. Dengue Fever. May 27, 2026.
5 Agência O Globo – Brasília. Brazil suspends Butantan dengue vaccine, recalls batches. Valor International June 8, 2026.
6 Reuters Connect. Brazil Prevents Dengue Vaccine Use After Two Deaths Under Investigation. June 9, 2026.
7 BEACON. Butantan dengue vaccine temporarily suspended in Brazil after two deaths and 42 severe adverse events among 500 000 recipients. June 8,. 2026.
8 The Daily Star. Brazil halts dengue vaccine after 2 deaths. June10, 2026.
9 Dall C. Quick takes: Less funding for global health; dengue vaccine campaign halted in Brazil; more US hantavirus patients head home. CIDRAP June 10, 2026.
10 The Daily Star. Brazil halts dengue vaccine after 2 deaths. June 10, 2026.
11 Reuters Connect. Brazil Prevents Dengue Vaccine Use After Two Deaths Under Investigation. June 9, 2026.
3 Responses
No thanks to more bullshite. Pull the plug on this demonic behavior of formulating vaccines for every little thing.
I’m sure once the “investigation” is over they will go back to jabbing another half million people. There’s no end to this cycle of hell
Safe and effective. Thankfully, no long term studies will be performed to look for long term residual damage or how vaccines compromise the immune system and actually expose people to other illness which had nothing to do with why they took a particular vaccine.
That’s a billion dollars well spent. When for the same money they could have gifted everyone in every town or village; clean water, laundry services, soap, better food and nutrition, schools, hygienic services, better education on disease prevention, created jobs for regular people whom don’t dress up in fancy white lab coats.
Nope, there is no proprietary pharma profit in meaningful lasting long term efforts which would actually be good for the people. They want to keep the danger and poor hygienic systems the way they are as it provides the perfect excuse to push emergency rushed vaccines out to the masses.
Those peoples tax dollars; hard at work. The same model everywhere, adjusted for the local populace. Nobody on the entire planet would voluntarily choose to pay so much for a vaccine if they had better information and clear financial comparisons how much better their lives could have been, if the pharma and vaccination money was spent elsewhere in their local communities, or if they had to pay for this themselves on an individual cost basis. A few hundred here. A few hundred there. Then another. Then again. Instead of the proprietary patented ‘health’ model, everyone could be prosperous and better off. We most certainly can not have that.
“We are not exactly sure why this vaccine did not work as intended or why people had adverse reactions. But we are certain that the vaccination program should continue forward without any serious reconsideration. We’re ‘pausing’ the delivery in order to give the public time to acclimate to their new health conditions.”