Experts make case for more people to be vaccinated against dengue

The dengue vaccine registration last October made Thailand one of 14 countries using a vaccine for dengue.
President of the Paediatric Infectious Diseases Society of Asia, Dr Usa Thisyakorn, noted on Friday that it was crucial to produce the vaccine to effectively prevent all four serotypes of the dengue virus, as it could not yet be determined which serotypes would become endemic and when.
“From clinical trials in 15 countries involving more than 40,000 participants, the vaccine helped prevent symptomatic cases caused by any of the four types by 65.6 per cent, reducing hospitalisations by 80.8 per cent and severe dengue cases by 93.2 per cent. Although not yet 100 per cent effective, it is definitely better than having no prevention at all,” Usa said.
This live, attenuated tetravalent vaccine is to be given in three doses, six months apart – shortly after birth, then at 6 and 12 months – with each dose yielding increasingly improved preventive results.
Besides children, adults should also get vaccinated as the adult population increases and fewer children are born, Usa said.
“We need to change the misconception that dengue fever is a child’s disease. It afflicts people of all ages,” she said.