“Dengue vaccines: Latest developments, efficacy & availability worldwide”

By Analía Filosi

“Las vaccines for the

dengue are appearing”, pointed out as news of great importance the Dr. Jorge Pascual, Mayo Clinic pulmonologist, in dialogue with El País. In times when dengue is once again in the news – which happens with each wave of mosquitoes or when a case appears – knowing that preventive or curative methods are being worked on is always welcome.

“The The first vaccine to be developed was French.. It has three doses and was efficient between 50% and 70% of the cases. The biggest problem is that if a person catches dengue once, that does not protect him for other times,” Pascual clarified.

The specialist explained that a person can get dengue four times, due to different strains. “In Argentina and Uruguay they only have dengue 1 and 2; in Brazil they also have 3 and 4 ”, he added.

“When one has dengue for the second time, the body reacts to the chemicals. As with the covid, there are people who have a generalized reaction and then the fluid from the vessels begins to drain, the lungs fill with water, fluid appears in the abdomen. The second time people catch dengue is worsebut with the vaccine it is softer”, indicated Pascual.

The second vaccine that exists comes from Japan and it has already been approved in Brazil.

“The information that exists so far is that it helps both people who have had dengue and those who have not. If one gets sick, it will not be serious, ”explained the specialist about a vaccine whose importation has already been approved in Argentina.

“In Uruguay it has not been approved yet, but it probably does not need it,” said the pulmonologist.

Because? To answer this, it must be taken into account that dengue is not present in the same way throughout the planet. It is a disease that was described –not diagnosed– 200 years ago in the Caribbean. “He came from Asia, then he went to the Caribbean, Central America, South America and increasingly to the south,” Pascual explained.

The specialist indicated that the disease is very present in Asia and Indonesia. In America it occurs more than anything in Central America and the Caribbean and when it comes down to South America the situation changes depending on whether you are talking about Brazil, Chile, Argentina or Uruguay.

“In Chile there are no mosquitoes, so it cannot be transmitted. In Uruguay, for some reason, they don’t have many mosquitoes, so most of the patients who presented dengue are because they caught it in Brazil, that is, they most cases are imported”, he commented.

In Uruguay, the issue is always a concern because it has a dry border with Brazil, so you have to be more attentive, especially in the hot months; With winter the problem disappears. What is happening this year is that the high temperatures have spread more than usual and that has maintained the mosquito population. “The heat makes them reproduce faster, the eggs hatch faster, so heat is an enemy and if we add global warming to it, things are not good. Global warming helps mosquito and spread diseasePascual pointed out.

As for Argentina, our other neighbor, the doctor stated that most of his cases are autochthonous and occur especially in the center and north of the country, such as Tucumán or Santa Fe. “There they have several cases, so they really go to having to do something to control mosquitoes,” he said.

One factor to take into account is that the disease spreads more in large cities because there are many people together.

“I think it is important to see how we can reduce the mosquito population, with insecticides or advertising campaigns to throw away. Brazil, my country, is a disaster because the campaigns have slowed down and people are starting to relax. One piece of information that I found out is that when there is a vase with a plant, changing the water does not prevent dengue because the larvae remain stuck in the container,” the doctor commented.

Due to all this disparate and worrying panorama in many countries, Pascual is convinced that the vaccine will play a very important role.

other vaccines

Asked about what will happen with the covid vaccine From now on, the Mayo Clinic specialist said that in the United States, the country where he works, they are waiting for what the government decides.

“What we believe is that the covid is going to be like the flu, like influenza, it is going to continue to mutate so that always, once a year, it is going to be necessary to receive a new vaccine,” he considered.

In the United States, where two vaccines and two boosters were applied, which It is currently advised that those over 65 years of age receive another booster.

“That’s because the virus keeps changing, it’s not going away. It will be more manageable because there will be more people vaccinated and there will not be as many serious cases. The impression is that the covid is going to be permanent, ”said the pulmonologist.

He added that the problem with covid is chronic cases and there are many studies going on to see what can be done about it.

“As it is a new virus, the guidelines keep changing; every week we hear of a new variant,” Pascual said.

As for the flu, the specialist recommends getting vaccinated regardless of age or health condition. For example, at the hospital where he works, all employees have to be vaccinated and if they have any allergies or religious issues that prevent them from doing so, they must bring a letter from their doctor. “We try to make it difficult for people to get vaccinated,” he insisted.

He commented that something good that the covid did at the time was that, by recommending the use of masks, people got less sick of the flu. But now that it is no longer required, the disease returned with a vengeance.

recognized that no vaccine is perfect, but they prevent people from dying. “Vaccines usually have a 60% -70% effectiveness”, he highlighted in defense of this preventive method.