Vaccine for dengue

 
Published: Sunday 31 January 1993

A SAFE vaccine against dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever has been developed by scientists at Bangkok's Mahidol University, who have been working on a WHO-sponsored research programme for the last 13 years.

Dengue is transmitted by the bite of the infective Aedes aegypti mosquito and is caused by the dengue virus. Numerous types of this infection are now endemic in the tropics. Outbreaks and epidemics threaten more than 85 countries throughout Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa, Central and South America.

Developed by N Bhamarapravati and his team of researchers, the vaccine has proved to be safe in humans and effective against four strains of the dengue virus in formal clinical trials and will now be tested for efficacy under field conditions.

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