Dengue vaccines need long-term surveillance | Science

On 8 June, Brazil temporarily suspended its Butantan-DV dengue vaccination rollout after reports of rare and unexpected adverse events during early implementation (1–3). This decision—an appropriate response to a safety signal—should not be interpreted as evidence that dengue vaccination has failed. Rather, it serves as a call to make dengue vaccine deployment more scientifically accountable. Every dengue vaccine rollout should be paired with active pharmacovigilance, transparent reporting, and postlicensure studies that can distinguish vaccine-related adverse events from severe dengue occurring after vaccination. The priority is not to retreat from dengue vaccination but to ensure that safety, effectiveness, and serotype-specific performance are monitored in real time.