The World Health Organization has authorized a second dengue vaccine, a move that could provide protection for millions worldwide against the mosquito-borne disease that has already sparked numerous outbreaks across the Americas this year.
FILE - Mosquitoes infected with a dengue-blocking bacteria called"wolbachia" produce eggs at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation bio-factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 27, 2024. The World Health Organization on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. authorized a second dengue vaccine, a move that could provide new protection for millions worldwide against the mosquito-borne disease, which has already sparked numerous outbreaks across the Americas this year.
In a statement on Wednesday, the U.N. health agency said it approved the dengue vaccine made by the Japanese pharmaceutical Takeda, recommending its use in children between six to 16 years old living in regions with high rates of dengue. The two-dose vaccine protects against the four types of dengue.WHO’s approval now means that donors and other U.N. agencies can purchase the vaccine for poorer countries.
Studies have shown Takeda’s vaccine is about 84% effective in preventing people from being hospitalized with dengue and about 61% effective in stopping symptoms. WHO’s Rogerio Gaspar, director for the agency’s approvals of medicines and vaccines, said it was “an important step in the expansion of global access to dengue vaccines." He noted it was the second immunization the U.N. agency had authorized for dengue., which was later found to increase the risk of severe dengue in people who had not previously been infected with the disease., a leading cause of serious illness and death in roughly 120 Latin American and Asian countries.
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