Team DailyPedia
Dengue is one of the most dreaded diseases in the Philippines with the number of dengue cases in October 2015 already nearing the 100,000 mark. As a disease transmitted by the bite of a mosquito infected with one of the four dengue virus serotypes, dengue, which places 50% of the world’s population at risk places, has proven difficult to eradicate especially in developing countries. It is only now—after 20 years of research—that the world’s first dengue vaccine has been approved.
Dengvaxia by Sanofi has earned approval in Mexico and is awaiting approval in at least 19 more countries. It is the first dengue vaccine to be approved and if all goes well, it should aid in combatting the disease.
The drug company, Sanofi, anticipates more approvals in the weeks to come for the dengue vaccine. This is to be sold in Asia and Latin America. The vaccine can put a stop to all four kinds of the dengue virus, which emerged in France, Portugal, Japan and Florida recently and added the risk of “explosive outbreaks” as told by the World Health Organization.
Dengue is prevalent in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In Sao Paulo, a water shortage led people to store drinking water in tanks and pots. This produced breeding grounds for mosquitoes. A dengue epidemic broke out with thousands of cases recently. A continuing outbreak in Hawaii involved 139 cases, mostly local residents.
Dengvaxia was developed over the course of 20 years at a cost of 1.65 billion dollars (1.5 billion euros), which includes investments in manufacturing. By 2020, sales of the drug may reach $1.4 billion. According to Sanofi, the vaccine will have a fair, equitable, sustainable, and affordable price. However, the vaccine is not recommended for those under nine years of age since it has proven less effective in that age group.
Oliver Charmeil, head of Paris-based Sanofi, said that they are making dengue a preventable disease. Other companies like Oxitec Ltd. are developing other approaches to prevent the virus from spreading. They have genetically modified the male mosquitoes resulting in the offspring dying as late larvae or pupae.
