Viral diseases caused by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the main vector that transmits dengue, Zika and chikungunya, have become one of the biggest concerns at the regional level.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the number of dengue cases in the Americas has increased in the last four decades and currently 500 million people are at risk of contracting the disease.
(Keep reading: Dengue in Colombia: ‘I don’t think this spike will lead to a health collapse’)
“About half the world’s population is at risk of dengue, which affects some 129 countries,” said Raman Velayudhan, director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Program for Control of Tropical Diseases.
Dengvaxia is the only dengue vaccine that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In addition to climate change, other factors have fueled the spread of dengue, such as increased movement of people and goods, urbanization, and pressure on water and sanitation.
“In 2000, we had about half a million cases and today, in 2022, we have more than 4.2 million, which really shows an eight-fold increase in infections with the disease,” Velayudhan said.
(You may be interested in: Dengue in Colombia: 56 percent of cases have no warning signs)
Until now, the disease has no specific treatment and there is no direct pharmacological intervention. It is usually treated with medicines to treat fever and pain. However, the UN official recalled that there are vaccines approved by some regulatory agencies in the world and antivirals that have passed the early stages of clinical trials.
“Two or three of these candidates are making it through phase two trials and will move on to phase three, which is very promising,” Velayudhan said. “There is also a dengue vaccine on the market, which has certain limitations, and two other candidates are under development and are being reviewed.”
In Colombia, the dengue antigen test is available and can take two to three days to give reliable results. However, technology globally is advancing fast and new tools are being developed that offer greater hope of preventing and controlling dengue.
This is Dengvaxia, the approved vaccine against dengue
Dengvaxia is the only dengue vaccine that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommended for routine use by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The Sanofi Pasteur factory and its specifications ensure that it prevents the disease caused by the four serotypes of the dengue virus.
As stated by the regulatory authority, the injection can only be applied to children and adolescents from 9 to 16 years of age who have already had an infection with the disease, confirmed by laboratory, and who live in an area where dengue is endemic ( where it occurs frequently or continuously).
This vaccine is quadrivalent and is made with live attenuated microbes. It was made using recombinant DNA technology and replaces several genetic sequences in the yellow fever vaccine virus genome with the homologous sequences of the four dengue virus serotypes.
For now, there are no approved vaccines or antivirals in Colombia, but the antigen test is a fairly effective measure. The health benefits plan includes NS1 antigen tests in its portfolio to promote clinical work and the management of dengue as a serious disease in the country’s public health.
Citizens can learn more about this benefit through the POS Pópuli platform or on the page of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. EPS physicians and staff are familiar with this procedure if necessary.
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2023-07-29 16:48:38
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