Medical research is seldom exciting and eye-catching, but this one would surely bring music to the ears of all those who care for children. And also those who endure mosquitoes and their bites. Worldwide, close to 100 million people develop symptomatic dengue – twice the number of people located in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai put together. Dengue hits the head, breaks the back and is capable of driving its victim to the graveyard- for there is no proven drug that can put brakes on the speeding dengue virus.
The Lancet (11 October) reports a study in which 10000 children โaged 2 to 12 yearsโ were tested for the efficacy and safety of a dengue vaccine. The children came from five countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam- countries hot with dengue fever. Children, who received three injections at months 0, 6, and 12 tended to have fewer episodes of fever, did well even when they got febrile and didn’t go as often to the hospital as the children in the control group. The vaccine was found to be efficacious and safe.
If these findings are replicated elsewhere, we could see a dramatic reduction in the incidence and case fatality rates of dengue. Vive la vaccine!
