India Approves First Dengue Vaccine: DCGI Clears QDENGA For People Aged 4-60

New Delhi: For the first time, India has got a vaccine to prevent dengue. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved the launch of the vaccine QDENGA of Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda Biopharmaceuticals in the market. This vaccine can be administered to people between the age of 4 to 60 years. Its biggest feature is that before getting it installed, there will be no need to get it checked whether the person has ever had dengue before or not.

Why is it being considered a big step?

India is among those countries where every year a large number of people fall victim to dengue. Experts believe that many more people are infected with this disease than the official figures indicate. Rapid urbanization, changing climate and increasing number of mosquitoes have made dengue no longer limited to the rainy season only. At such a time, approval of the first dengue vaccine is being considered an important achievement in terms of public health.

How will the vaccine work?

QDENGA has been developed to develop immunity in the body against all four major strains of dengue virus. Two doses of the vaccine will be administered and a gap of about three months will be maintained between the two. It will be given through injection under the skin. The company says that this vaccine is also useful for those who have never had dengue before.

What did the research reveal?

According to the company, extensive clinical trials were conducted on the vaccine in many countries of the world. In trials conducted on more than 28 thousand participants, good results of protection from infection were found after the second dose. The vaccine also showed effective protection in cases of dengue requiring hospitalization. There are indications that its safety effects persist in long-term follow-up.

Has WHO also given approval?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has already recommended the use of QDENGA in countries where the risk of dengue is high. The vaccine has also been included in the pre-qualification list of WHO. Due to this, many international agencies including UNICEF can also buy it. At present, this vaccine has been approved in 43 countries including India and crores of doses have been distributed across the world.

What will be the next process?

After getting regulatory approval, the company will now prepare to ensure the availability of the vaccine in India. For this, a strategy for distribution and use will be made in collaboration with health officials and various institutions. Experts say that the vaccine can prove to be a strong weapon in the fight against dengue, but measures like mosquito prevention, cleanliness and timely treatment will remain as important as before. Only with all these efforts will effective control of dengue be possible.