Third-Generation Dengue Vaccines May Become Available Soon

As the global Dengue fever outbreak continues into the fall of 2024, health leaders say this year may be the worst for dengue cases.

The majority of reported cases in the United States (4,100) are related to international travel, and many people are searching for a Dengue vaccine before their next trip.

Unfortunately, access to effective and safe vaccines remains challenging in the U.S.

As of August 29, 2024, neither of the two Dengue vaccines in use is actually available in the U.S., except for Dengue-endemic Puerto Rico.

Based on recent announcements from India, third-generation Dengue vaccines could become available soon.

In Dengue-endemic India, the Indian Council of Medical Research and Panacea Biotec announced on August 14, 2024, that they had started a Phase 3 clinical trial for DengiAll, their anti-dengue vaccine candidate.

This news is essential since India currently does not have an approved vaccine for the illness.

Other Dengue vaccine candidates include, but are not limited to, the following:

Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) expects to launch its dengue fever vaccine commercially by 2026. IIL's managing director, K. Anand Kumar, said on August 20, 2024, that the vaccine's early-stage trials of about 90 individuals aged 18-50 did not demonstrate any adverse effects. 

According to a phase 3 clinical study, which continues through 2024, Butantan Institute's Butantan-DV tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate showed an efficacy of 79.6% in preventing the disease in Brazil.

Serum Institute of India's tetravalent dengue vaccine live candidate Dengusiil is conducting phase 2 clinical research. A study published in August 2023 reported that the vaccine was highly immunogenic.

To warn people of their health risks after a Dengue infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reissued a Global Travel Health Notice on August 14, 2024, highlighting dengue outbreaks in 26 countries, including the Americas, Africa/Middle East, Costa Rica, and Asia/Pacific Islands. 

Without access to second-generation Dengue vaccines, the CDC suggests that travelers to at-risk areas prevent mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants outdoors and sleeping in an air-conditioned room or room with window screens.