The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved a vaccine for dengue fever, Reuters reported. The vaccine, from Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda Pharmaceuticals, would protect against four serotypes of the dengue virus and was cleared by the WHO for use in children aged 6 to 16 in areas with high infection rates.
Dengue fever, sometimes known as "break-bone fever," is a viral infection spread by mosquito bites. It can cause high fever, headaches, body aches, nausea, and rashes, and in extreme cases, it can be fatal.
Like many diseases spread by insects, which are known as vector-borne diseases, dengue fever is on the rise because of the effects of human-caused air pollution. As the pollution created by dirty energy sources such as gas and oil continues to overheat the planet, the range of insects that spread diseases expands.
This has resulted in many diseases appearing in places where they had not previously been found — such as scrub typhus, Chikungunya virus, and more.
While a new vaccine does not address the underlying causes that have led to the spread of these diseases, it is a huge tool for countries hoping to prevent people from becoming sick. Takeda's dengue vaccine, branded Qdenga, has already been approved in several countries, and Takeda has signed a manufacturing pact with Indian vaccine maker Biological E to create 100 million doses annually by the end of the decade.
Though there is another dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, from French drugmaker Sanofi, that has been approved in several countries, further data has found that it elevated the risk of disease in some children. Qdenga, hopefully, will not have similar issues.
Other recent attempts to address dengue fever outbreaks include one particularly extreme-sounding solution. In Brazil, a British biotechnology company released swarms of genetically modified mosquitoes to kill the mosquitoes that were spreading the virus. As out-there as that plan may sound, it did come with the benefit of requiring no toxic pesticides.
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