Manjulika Das
On Jan 18, 2026, Brazil’s health minister Alexandre Padilha declared that starting from Feb 9, 2026, nearly 1·1 million primary health-care workers in Brazil will be administered the world's first single-dose dengue vaccine, Butantan-DV (Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil). This dengue vaccine has been manufactured and approved for use in the country to prevent dengue infection caused by all four serotypes of the virus. Regarding the rationale for the initiative, Padilha suggested that these professionals serve in primary health-care units in Brazil, make home visits, and are the first to treat people with dengue-like symptoms.