As Covid-19 gradually retreats into the backseat, concerns over another virus have been on the rise here in Singapore.
Over the past months, the authorities have been urging residents to do their part to keep the local Aedes mosquito population at bay. This came at a time when the number of dengue cases recorded over the first five months of 2022 surpassed that for the whole of 2021.
However, not all is doom and gloom as Singapore might be receiving a new dengue vaccine for uninfected individuals as soon as next year.
The vaccine was recently submitted for approval in Europe as well as other “dengue-endemic” countries like Singapore.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda’s potential dengue vaccine, TAK-003, has shown to be 84% effective at preventing hospitalisations. It’s also apparently 61% effective at stopping symptomatic infections.
Just as importantly, no “important safety risks” have emerged thus far. Moreover, protection that the vaccine confers reportedly lasts for about 4.5 years.
Before the emergence of TAK-003, Dengvaxia has been the only approved dengue vaccine worldwide. However, only patients who’ve recovered from dengue are eligible to receive it.
On the other hand, both uninfected and recovered patients can receive the TAK-003.
Speaking after the 5th Asia Dengue Summit in Singapore, a visiting NUS professor predicted that some countries might authorise TAK-003 “within a year”.
The professor was also confident that another vaccine candidate by MSD might be available in two years’ time.
The potential vaccine by MSD will reportedly provide recipients with more comprehensive protection against the four types of viruses that cause dengue infection. In comparison, the protection other vaccines confer varies across the four types, reports CNA.
As dengue cases surge, it’s only natural for residents’ concern to grow.
With the virus possibly posing a risk in the community, we hope TAK-003 will get its approval soon, to protect the public against infections.
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Featured image adapted from The Vaccine Reaction and is for illustration purposes only.
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