Reacción a "Reactions: EMA gives green light to new dengue vaccine "

The dengue virus is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes (Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus) and dengue is caused by one of the four serotypes of the virus; it causes about 390 million infections per year in tropical and subtropical countries. 

While taking measures to avoid mosquito bites (EPA-approved repellents, mosquito nets, etc.), in 2019 the FDA approved DENGVAXIA© (Sanofi Pasteur) a vaccine to prevent dengue in children and adolescents aged 9 to 16 years who have had a previous laboratory-confirmed infection and who live in dengue-endemic areas. 

It is a WHO-recommended quadrivalent vaccine, generated with live attenuated virus and made with recombinant DNA technology; it is administered by injection and is 80% protective against hospitalisation and severe dengue disease. It appears to confer protection for at least six years and only against dengue, not against other Aedes mosquito-borne viruses such as Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever. 

The age of application of this vaccine has to do with the different studies carried out in which it has been observed that below the age of 9 the possibility of having been infected by the virus is very low and above the age of 16 there is not enough data to show efficacy. It does not currently apply to visiting children and adolescents. 

However, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recently recommended approval of TAK-003 (QDENGA®), Takeda's vaccine to prevent dengue caused by any serotype in children over 4 years of age in Europe and in endemic countries, which, unlike the previous vaccine, shows broader protection for young children and people over 45 years of age. 

This covers an unmet global public health need for a disease that is endemic in more than 100 countries worldwide, including in Europe.