Vaccines to control dengue

Virologists have urged us to focus on the dengue vaccine as well as mosquito killing to combat the dengue outbreak. There are currently two types of dengue vaccines in the world. Dengue immunity from these vaccines is more than 80 percent. Some 90 percent of the people who got inoculated by these vaccines were not required to be hospitalised.

It is important to note here thatfollowing hospital admission with dengue and expenditure of huge sums ofmoney for treatment including ICU service, a patient cannotstill be free from fear though all the symptoms of the disease are gone. Currently, there is no alternative to importing vaccines to save the amount of money the government spends on combating dengue and its vector. At government hospitals and health centres, it is necessary to give the vaccine on an urgent basis, even with a fee fixed by the government.

Two dengue vaccines recommended by the World Health Organization and the US CDC have been approved in 20 countries around the world. Policymakers should come forward to take appropriate measures in the application of these vaccines in Bangladesh.

Ashikujaman Syed

Research Assistant,

Bioinformatics Research Lab,

Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID).

[email protected]