GINEBRA.- World Health Organization (OMS) authorized on Wednesday a second vaccine against him dengue, with the idea of providing protection to millions of people around the world against the mosquito-borne disease that has already caused numerous outbreaks in the American Continent this year.
In a statement Wednesday, the city’s health agency HIM said it approved the dengue vaccine manufactured by Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda, recommending its use in children between 6 and 16 years old who live in regions with high rates of dengue. The two-dose vaccine protects against all four types of dengue.
Takeda’s vaccine, known as Qdenga, was approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2022.
The WHO approval now means donors and other UN agencies can buy the vaccine for poorer countries.
Studies have shown that Takeda’s vaccine is 84% effective in preventing people from being hospitalized for dengue and 61% effective in stopping symptoms.
Rogerio Gaspar, director of the WHO agency for the approval of medicines and vaccines, said it was “an important step in expanding global access to dengue vaccines.” He noted that it is the second immunization that the UN agency has authorized for dengue.
The first vaccine the WHO approved was made by Sanofi Pasteur, which was later found to increase the risk of severe dengue in people who had not previously been infected with the disease.
There is no specific treatment for dengue, a major cause of serious illness and death in approximately 120 countries in Latin America and Asia. Although 80% of infections are mild, severe cases of dengue can cause internal bleeding, organ failure and death.
Last week, the WHO reported that there were 6.7 million suspected cases of dengue in the Americas, an increase of 206% compared to the same period in 2023.
Last year, the WHO indicated that dengue cases have increased tenfold in the last generation, with climate change and the increasing range of mosquitoes that transmit dengue partly responsible.
Source: AP
