UN agency authorizes second dengue vaccine amid outbreaks in the Americas

GENEVA – GENEVA (AP) —

The World Health Organization on Wednesday authorized a second dengue vaccine, a move that could provide protection to millions of people around the world against the mosquito-borne disease that has already sparked numerous outbreaks in the Americas this year.

In a statement released Wednesday, the UN health agency said it had approved the dengue vaccine manufactured by Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda, recommending its use in children between the ages of six and 16 who live in regions with high rates of dengue. The two-dose vaccine protects against four types of dengue.

Takeda’s dengue vaccine, known as Qdenga, had already been approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2022.

The WHO approval now means that donors and other UN agencies can purchase the vaccine for poorer countries.

Studies have shown that Takeda’s vaccine is about 84% effective in preventing people from being hospitalized with dengue fever and about 61% effective in stopping symptoms.

Rogério Gaspar, director of drug and vaccine approvals at the WHO, said it was “an important step in expanding global access to dengue vaccines”. He noted that it was the second immunization that the UN agency authorized for dengue.

The first WHO-approved vaccine was manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, which was later found to increase the risk of severe dengue in people who had not previously been infected with the disease.

There is no specific treatment for dengue fever, a leading cause of serious illness and death in around 120 Latin American and Asian countries. Although about 80% of infections are mild, serious cases of dengue can cause internal bleeding, organ failure and death.

Last week, the WHO reported that there were 6.7 million suspected cases of dengue in the Americas, a 206% increase compared to the same period in 2023. In March, authorities in Rio de Janeiro declared a dengue emergency. public health due to the dengue epidemic and the country began rolling out the Takeda vaccine, with the aim of inoculating at least 3 million people.

Last year, the WHO said that dengue cases have increased tenfold over the last generation, with climate change and the growing range of the mosquitoes that transmit dengue fever partly to blame for the spread of the disease.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.