The World Health Organization has given the green light for the production of a second dengue fever vaccine amidst the disease’s outbreak in the Americas this year. This move could provide protection to millions worldwide against the mosquito-borne illness.
In a statement on Wednesday, the United Nations health agency announced its approval of the dengue fever vaccine manufactured by Japanese pharmaceutical company Takada, recommending its use for children aged six to 16 living in high-risk areas.
The vaccine, administered in two doses, protects against all four types of dengue fever.
Takada’s dengue fever vaccine received approval from the European Medicines Agency in 2022.
The WHO approval now allows donor agencies and other UN bodies the opportunity to purchase the vaccine for poorer countries.
Studies have shown Takada’s vaccine to be approximately 84% effective in preventing hospitalizations due to dengue fever and around 61% effective in halting symptoms.
Rogerio Gaspar of the World Health Organization, director of agency approvals for drugs and vaccines, called this “a significant step in expanding global access to dengue fever vaccines.”
This is the second vaccination approved by the United Nations agency against dengue fever.
The first vaccine approved by the World Health Organization, manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, was later found to increase the risk of severe dengue fever in individuals who had not previously been infected.
There is no specific treatment for dengue fever, which is a leading cause of serious illness and death in approximately 120 countries in Latin America and Asia.
The organization noted that about 80% of infections are mild, but severe cases of dengue fever can lead to internal bleeding, organ failure, and death.
Last week, the World Health Organization reported that there were 6.7 million suspected cases of dengue fever in the Americas, a 206% increase compared to the same period in 2023. In March of last year, authorities in Rio de Janeiro declared a public health emergency due to the dengue fever epidemic, and the country began to take action.
Takada’s vaccine has been rolled out with the aim of vaccinating at least 3 million people.
Last year, the World Health Organization said that cases of dengue fever had increased tenfold over the past generation, partly due to climate change and the expansion of the mosquito carrying dengue fever in spreading the disease.
