India gets first-ever dengue vaccine; QDENGA gets approval from DGCI

NEW DELHI: For the first time, a dengue vaccine got approval in India. The Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) approved the distribution of the vaccine QDENGA, developed by Japanese company Takeda Biopharmaceuticals. Takeda has announced that the vaccine will be delivered within a month. The vaccine, developed in 2022, is being used in 42 countries.

There is no need for a pre-vaccine blood test to check if you have been infected with the disease before receiving the vaccine. It protects against four variants of the dengue virus.

The World Health Organisation had earlier recommended that the vaccine be used in countries reporting high rates of dengue fever. According to their report, one-third of the world's dengue cases are in India.

The vaccine can be given to those aged four to 60 years. Two doses should be taken at an interval of three months. The price has not been decided. It is indicated that one dose will cost between 3000 and 6000.

The vaccine comes with no side effects. However, slight redness and pain at the injection site may last for two days; mild vomiting and diarrhoea may be experienced.