Effectiveness and Side Effects of Dengue Fever Vaccine: Indonesian Ministry of Health Plans to Introduce Vaccine Next Year

KOMPAS.com – The dengue vaccine is a recommendation to prevent dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). The Indonesian Ministry of Health even plans to start introducing the dengue fever vaccine starting next year.

So, what is the effectiveness and side effects of the dengue fever vaccine? The following is the explanation.

Also read: DHF vaccine is available in Indonesia, here are the conditions for getting it

Dengue fever vaccine effectiveness and side effects

Reporting from Antara, Sunday (21/1/2024), Professor of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Dr. Hartono Gunardi, Sp.A(K) explained several data regarding the effectiveness of the dengue vaccine in preventing dengue fever.

According to Hartono, the dengue vaccine is one of Indonesia’s national strategies for preventing dengue fever and needs to be given to at-risk community groups.

Data shows that dengue fever attacks children aged 5-14 years, with the death rate in the age group of children under 14 years ranging from 66 percent.

On the other hand, children are susceptible to dengue infection because they are close to populations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Apart from that, mosquito active times coincide with children’s activity schedules in general, namely during the day with peaks at 08.00–13.00 and 15.00–17.00.

For this reason, IDAI has issued recommendations for dengue vaccination for children, which contains four antigens from four serotypes of the dengue virus since 2020, even though at that time the vaccine available was the first generation. Currently, the dengue vaccine available is TAK-003.

Then, referring to the recommendations of the Association of Indonesian Internal Medicine Experts (PAPDI), the vaccine can be given to children aged 6 years to adults aged 45 years, considering that protection starts at the age of 6 years compared to children under that age.

According to Hartono, vaccines are given from the age of 6 considering that their immune system is better than children under that age.

Also read: How many doses of dengue fever vaccine are needed to prevent dengue fever?

Referring to research in eight countries including Southeast Asia and Latin America involving more than 28,000 people.

The results of phase 3 clinical trials show that the dengue vaccine can protect against dengue disease which requires hospitalization by 84 percent.

Then, the immunity generated is different between people who have been infected with dengue and those who have not been infected.

In individuals who have been infected with dengue, vaccine protection is higher, namely 86 percent. Meanwhile, for those who have not been infected with dengue, the protection is 79 percent.

According to the data, overall, protection against dengue reached 61 percent, up to 4.5 years after administering the second dose at three month intervals.

“These results are consistent and there is no increase in the risk of contracting more severe dengue fever in people who have received this vaccine,” said Hartono, who also serves as Chair of the Immunization Task Force of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association.

Apart from discussing the effectiveness of the dengue vaccine, Hartono also talked about the side effects of the dengue vaccine.

Side effects of the dengue fever vaccine include pain at the injection site, headache, weakness, muscle aches and fever with a risk of less than 10 percent. The side effects of the dengue fever vaccine are generally mild.

Also read: Ministry of Health Schedules Introduction of Dengue Fever Vaccine Next Year

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2024-01-21 15:00:00
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