|
 The experts, from several organizations, urged governments in the
region to support collaborative efforts to combat the spread of
dengue in Asia, which had the highest incidence of the disease in
the world.
One impetus for the call to action is Sanofi Pasteur's new Dengvaxia
vaccine that has received approval in Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador
and the Philippines, said Dr. In-Kyu Yoon, director of the Dengue
Vaccine Initiative (DVI), adding that other vaccines were in the
development pipeline.
With dengue experts on its staff and board, DVI - one of the groups
behind the call - is part of the Seoul-based International Vaccine
Institute and has received support from Sanofi Pasteur to raise
awareness about dengue vaccination.
"The dengue problem won't just go away and won't be helped by half
measures. If countries and regions want to tackle the issue
effectively, it will take a huge commitment on the part of
individual countries and regions, groups of countries, to address
it," Yoon said.
Experts have said Dengvaxia is not perfect and does not protect
equally against the four different serotypes of dengue, but is a
tool that can be part of an integrated approach for prevention of
the disease.
Other drugmakers including Japan's Takeda and U.S. Merck are also
working on dengue vaccines but are several years behind.
VACCINE PART OF INTEGRATED APPROACH
Sanofi Pasteur said last year studies it had carried out had shown
the vaccine protected two-thirds of the participants.
Protection against severe dengue reached 93 percent, while
prevention of hospitalization due to the disease reached 80 percent
in the volunteers, who were aged nine and above, it said in a
statement.
"There's a lot of thought that perhaps if we have a vaccine, that
we'll be able to ease off on doing other parts of the overall
effort, for example, vector control, surveillance, some of these
other things," Yoon said by telephone from Colombo, where he was
attending a dengue conference.
"The fact is, really it will require all aspects. That is part of
the call to action - it needs to be an integrated approach. There is
no magic bullet... it is a tool that can be in a country's toolbox."
Dengue - which causes flu-like symptoms and can develop into the
deadly dengue hemorrhagic fever - is the world's fastest-spreading
tropical disease, with the annual number of cases increasing 30-fold
in the last 50 years, according to the World Health Organization
(WHO).
[to top of second column] |
The disease is endemic in 128 countries - compared with nine
countries experiencing severe dengue epidemics prior to 1970. Asia
has the most cases, with 67 million people infected per year,
researchers say.
The experts called on countries, if they register the vaccine for
use, to develop and implement vaccine programs that are monitored
and evaluated for safety.
They also urged governments to "accelerate effective dengue
prevention and control interventions".
There is no dedicated treatment for dengue, also known as breakbone
fever, and patients are generally asked to rest, drink plenty of
fluids and take medication to bring down fever and reduce joint
pains.
LINKS
Sanofi supports Dengue Vaccine Initiative: http://www.reuters.com/article/sanofi-dengue-idUSLDE71K19A20110221
or http://www.sanofipasteur.com/en/articles/sanofi-pasteur-and-international-vaccine-institute-partner-against-dengue.aspx
Sanofi Pasteur said last year:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sanofi-dengue-idUSKCN0Q11RM20150727
RELATED LINK
http://news.trust.org/item/20160114123406-34zg4/
(Reporting by Alisa Tang, editing by Tim Pearce. Please credit the
Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters,
that covers humanitarian news, women’s rights, corruption and
climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
