As COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the world, researchers are hoping it could inject new momentum into the search for safe and effective vaccines against dengue fever. Could new vaccine technologies, including mRNA vaccine platforms, offer fresh hope? It’s now five years since Sanofi Pasteur introduced the first dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, to the world in 2015. In December 2018, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Dengvaxia to prevent dengue in people aged between nine and 45 living in endemic areas with a documented prior infection. In May 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration ..read more

Malaria and dengue can be difficult to distinguish. Symptoms are very similar. They typically include a high temperature, or feeling hot or shivery, a headache and feeling or being sick. And both diseases are vector-borne diseases spread by mosquitoes. But the two infections need different treatments. A recent study found dengue was going undiagnosed in children in Kenya. They were being treated with anti-malarial and anti-microbial drugs when, in reality, they didn’t need them. It also raised the question of whether the burden of dengue in Africa is actually far higher than thought. The study ..read more

In March this year, an article published in the Lancet raised concerns that patients testing positive for dengue were later confirmed to have COVID-19. It describes two patients in Singapore with false-positive results from rapid serological testing for dengue who were later confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Over the intervening months, other research has shown an intriguing, and also potentially crucial, link between the two seemingly unrelated viruses. The first of two pieces of research we look at here examines what happened when researchers tested th ..read more

The number of dengue cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) has increased eight-fold since 2000, from 500,000 cases to 4.2 million in 2019. Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes are bringing hope; they reduced dengue case numbers by 77 per cent during a World Mosquito Program (WMP) trial in Indonesia. We spoke with Dr Katie Anders, Director of Impact Assessment at WMP. The trial divided the city of Yogyakarta into 24 communities and randomly selected 12 to receive the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes; the other 12 showed what would have happened in the absence of Wolbachia. “We’re ex ..read more

2020 is already turning out to be another terrible year for dengue. The Pan America Health Organization is reporting all four dengue serotypes circulating in Guatemala, Mexico, Columbia and Brazil, significantly increasing the risk of severe infections. We recently explored why the ideal dengue vaccine has to neutralise all four dengue serotypes. Equally, scientists need to design new drugs that can inhibit all four dengue serotypes. Let’s take a look at one recent breakthrough. Industry experts say there is currently no specific treatment or vaccine available for fighting dengue: “The only ex ..read more

Sanofi Pasteur’s Dengvaxia was the first dengue vaccine to be licensed. Originally licensed in Mexico in December 2015, it is now licenced in 20 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), for use in people aged 9 and 45 living in dengue-endemic areas. While safe for people who had previously been infected with dengue, the vaccine appears to put people who have never been infected at higher risk of more severe dengue. So, what was behind the vaccine’s strange behaviour? And what does it mean for dengue vaccination programs? Essentially it comes down to a phenomenon known as an ..read more

In June, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared the unwelcome news that countries listed in the Americas are currently reporting higher-than-usual numbers of dengue cases. Case numbers in Argentina, for instance, are fast-approaching the 80,000 reported throughout 2016 – itself a record year. What’s behind these numbers? The Americas may still be feeling the impact of last year’s dengue outbreaks, which reached an all-time high. During 2019, case numbers across the region exceeded 3.1 million, with 1,500 fatalities, according to the most recent data from the Pan America ..read more

For any company developing new vector control tools, receiving an Experimental Use Permit (EUP) from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a significant milestone. For Oxitec, it opens the way for field testing its genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Florida and Texas. Oxitec’s second-generation ‘Friendly mosquitoes’ have shown great promise for reducing mosquito populations and combatting the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and Zika.   We spoke with Oxitec CEO Grey Frandsen about its implications, the impact of the current pandemic, why lockdowns c ..read more

Antibodies. Genes. Bacteria. Artificial Intelligence. Satellites. Drones. New technologies are being deployed in new ways in the fight against dengue. While some are halting the vector in its tracks, others are tackling the dengue virus. Some are already in use; others are experimental. Let’s look at the dengue-fighting technology we can expect to see as we take on this killer virus – and its vector – in 2020.   New approaches based on genes   Our first dengue-fighting technology stops Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the dengue virus from transmitting the virus to humans. Rese ..read more

Globally, dengue kills around 100 people every day. While the world’s media focuses on combatting coronavirus, we must ensure the lack of attention doesn’t allow dengue to win through. If you live in one of the more than 125 at-risk countries, there are simple steps you can take to help protect your home and your family against the virus. Before we look at those, let’s start by quickly reminding ourselves how Aedes mosquitoes live and breed, and how the dengue virus spreads.      Aedes aegypti mosquitoes – the primary dengue vector – live inside and outside the home. Their favourite breeding ..read more