First approval for successful dengue fever vaccine

Virus-induced dengue fever has become one of the most dangerous infectious diseases in the world within a few decades. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 50 to 100 million dengue infections per year worldwide, and around 40 percent of all people now live in risk areas. Now Mexico is the first country to have approved a vaccine against the dangerous tropical disease.
Vaccine tested on more than 40,000 people Mexico has become the first country in the world to have approved a vaccine against dengue fever. According to the news agency "dpa", referring to the Mexican Ministry of Health, the drug was developed by the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur and tested over two years in advance. Sanofi had therefore carried out a clinical trial with more than 40,000 people to test, now the vaccine should now prevent more than 60 percent of all Dengueinfektionen and more than 90 percent of severe Dengueinfektionen.

New vaccine developed. Image: sharryfoto - fotolia

Sudden high fever and severe bone pain Dengue fever is a viral disease that is transmitted by certain mosquito species of the genus Aedes, but human-to-human transmission is not possible. A distinction is made between the "classical" course and the so-called "haemorrhagic dengue fever". In the first case, a high-grade fever typically occurs shortly after the infection, and suffer from extreme muscle, bone and joint pain ("breakbone fever"). Partly also shows blotchy rash, as well as accompanying general symptoms such as headache, nausea and vomiting, constipation, diarrhea or lymphadenopathy possible. The symptoms usually resolve over the course of a week, but after about two weeks, the disease usually heals almost completely.

The haemorrhagic dengue fever is a severe form, which occurs mainly in children and adolescents. Although this begins similar to the classic form, however, the condition of the affected worsened after a short time massive. Among other things, there are bleeding (for example in the gastrointestinal area), heavy fluid loss and weak pulse. If the haemorrhagic dengue fever is not treated accordingly, threatened by the loss of fluid and blood a life-threatening shock with circulatory failure ("Dengue-shock syndrome").

32,000 people are infected in Mexico The disease is particularly prevalent in the tropics and subtropics, with particularly severe effects on Central and South America, Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan and certain areas of Africa and Australia. About 40 percent of the population live in risk areas and the number of new cases worldwide is rising every year. Meanwhile, the WHO expects up to 100 million new infections a year, in Mexico alone, according to the "dpa" have infected over 32,000 people last year. For the treatment of patients, 3.2 billion pesos (about 174 million euros) have been applied - about 2.5 percent of the total health budget. (No)