Dengue fever patients under treatment at the Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Hospital in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) He revealedthe information on the sidelines of a medical research and application conferenceheld on October 12.
Accordingto the World Health Organisation (WHO), dengue fever is among the top 10 threatsto global health as 40% of the world’s population reside in the areas at riskof dengue infection. It is one of the fastest spreading mosquito-borne diseasesand popular in tropical regions. The disease leads to about 20,000 deathsworldwide each year.
Dengue fever is caused by four dengue virus types, namely DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4, ofwhich DEN-1 and DEN-2 account for 90% of cases. A person infected with a virustype can gain lifelong immunity to that type, but is still at risk ofcontracting others. Particularly, repeat infections are highly dangerous sincethe disease situation is often more severe from the first.
Since the start of 2023, Vietnam hasrecorded more than 90,000 dengue fever cases, including 26 deaths, said theMinistry of Health.
Some countries used to test and licensesome dengue vaccines, but the vaccines’ efficacy has yet to meet expectations,especially when it comes to DEN-2, Kinh said.
Recently, Japan has developed a newvaccine which initially showed efficacy for all the four virus types. The single-dosevaccine can be used for both adults and children.
However, he noted, trialsare necessary to have thorough assessment of the vaccine before it is used on alarge scale./.
VNA
