By October 2nd, about 4.2 million cases of dengue fever, a viral illness spread by mosquitos, had been reported, up from 500,000 in 2000. For the first time, this worrying rise is having a detrimental influence on places outside of the tropics, including southern Europe. Dengue fever, sometimes known as “breakbone fever” due to the severity of its symptoms (fever and bone pain), is a serious public health problem.
There is currently no therapy available, and the existing immunizations have major limits. The disease-carrying Aedes mosquitos are notoriously tough to eradicate. In order to prevent the spread of dengue fever, researchers are developing vaccinations, antiviral drugs, and ways to control mosquito populations. Their findings were just presented at the annual conference of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Chicago, Illinois.Â
Dengue prophylaxis is complicated by the fact that the dengue virus has four unique serotypes or subtypes. A vaccine that is effective against all dengue serotypes is currently being developed. Regulators have previously granted the go light to two dengue vaccines. Dengvaxia, a drug manufactured by the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi, decreases dengue fever and associated symptoms in 60% of those who have already been exposed to the virus.
People who have never experienced the sickness before may suffer more severe symptoms after taking the vaccine. TAK-003, Takeda’s Dengue vaccine, has a 73% success rate and may be safely provided to anyone who has been exposed to the sickness. Although research on DENV-4 is ongoing, it appears to be less effective against DENV-3. Â
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States has developed a third vaccine, TV003, which is currently being tested on a wide scale in Brazil. According to data presented at the conference, TV003 had an overall effectiveness of 80% against symptomatic dengue, with good safety even in individuals who had never had dengue before. This vaccine might be beneficial for those who travel to or reside in areas where the disease is common. Â
Vaccines and antiviral medications are now being studied by scientists. JNJ-1802, an oral antiviral drug created by Janssen, a Belgian pharmaceutical firm, has shown encouraging outcomes in clinical studies. Individuals who received a high dose of JNJ-1802 had undetectable quantities of the virus in their blood during human challenge studies, but those in the placebo group did not.
More study is needed to determine the drug’s efficacy in combating dengue in the wild, according to the findings. However, because the majority of dengue patients exhibit no symptoms, a daily pill regimen for whole populations in endemic areas may not be practicable or cost-effective.
However, the medicine may be beneficial for persons going to dengue-endemic areas. Scientists emphasize the necessity of multi-pronged measures and continued research to combat the rising public health risk presented by dengue as it spreads to new countries. To protect vulnerable people from the dengue outbreak, better vaccinations and therapies are required.Â
Journal ReferenceÂ
Lenharo, M. (2023). Dengue is spreading. Can new vaccines and antivirals halt its rise? Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03453-0Â
