The first-ever vaccine for the mosquito-borne disease dengue fever is expected to be released in Vietnam next year following testing.

According to the Ministry of Health’s General Department of Preventive Medicine, by late November this year, the research on the dengue fever jointly conducted by HCM City Pasteur Institute and Sanofi Pasteur Inc. is scheduled for completion.    

The first-ever vaccine for the mosquito-borne disease dengue fever is expected to be released in Vietnam next year.

The third experimental phase of the vaccine has been almost finished, covering 2,300 children between the age of two and 14 in My Tho City in Tien Giang Province and Long Xuyen District in An Giang Province which often see a high number of dengue fever patients annually.

Dr. Nguyen Ngo Quang, director of the Ministry of Health’s Administration for Science, Technology and Training said that the second and third tests over the past ten years showed that the vaccine is quite safe.

Quang added that before starting the vaccine research in Vietnam, the Health Ministry proposed to the partners that once produced successfully, the vaccine price should be reasonable in Vietnam so that many people in the country could afford to buy it.

The test results showed children given with three doses of vaccines will see the infection risk down by 65%. Meanwhile, the risk of being hospitalised and severe complications also falls by 80% and 93% respectively.

Up to 17 countries have used the dengue fever vaccine, including Brazil and the Philippines. Vietnam is among the five countries in Asia which is conducting the third experimental phase of the vaccine.

The vaccine is expected to be used in Vietnam from 2018 after the third test is finished.

Assistant Prof. Dr. Tran Dac Phu, director of General Department of Preventive Medicine, said that the dengue fever epidemic in Vietnam had been temporarily curbed, but it may resurface due to the weather. The number of dengue fever patients is forecast to sharply rise by the end of this year.

dtinews