BAGUIO CITY – A renowned expert on microbial immunology and medical biotechnology said that the second-generation anti-dengue vaccine is now being evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ascertain its safety and efficacy prior to being rolled out in the country to combat the significant increase in the dreaded dengue fever cases.
Dr. Nina Gloriani, former chairperson of the vaccine expert panel of the Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), claimed that the decision to allow the second generation anti-dengue vaccine to be inoculated to Filipinos lies on the evaluation of the FDA but expressed hope that it could be released in less than three years to ensure the availability of the vaccine to prevent people from contracting dengue, a vaccine-preventable illness.
She reported increasing dengue epidemics had been observed last year in many parts of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded more than five million dengue cases worldwide last year with more than 5,000 dengue-related deaths in over 80 countries.
Gloriani attributed the increase in dengue cases to the El Nino phenomena and climate change leading to increasing temperatures, high rainfall and humidity.
From January to November 16, 2024, there were already some 340,860 dengue cases in the country which is more than the 195,603 cases recorded the whole year of 2023. From the 657 dengue-related deaths last year, it significantly increased to 881 deaths from January to November 16, 2024.
According to her, the highest case fatality rates of dengue in the country were observed in the very young nine years old and below and the elderly 60 years old and above.
In the Southeast Asian region, the Philippines recorded the highest dengue cases last year with 195,603 followed by Vietnam with 166,619 and Thailand with 139,719 cases.
Further, health experts stated that dengue is the fifth cause of death among people worldwide thus the need to prioritize efforts to contain the rapid spread of the deadly virus, especially to the members of the vulnerable and marginalized sectors.
Gloriani pointed out that one of the best ways to control the spread of dengue is to adopt the use of the second generation vaccine which is now being used in some countries like Brazil, Argentina, Latin America and Indonesia in the Southeast Asian region.
She explained that it is important for the anti-dengue vaccine to be included in the government’s national immunization program to ensure it can be inoculated to a larger portion of the population that will guarantee its efficacy in containing the spread of the illness.
At present, there are two kinds of anti-dengue vaccine in the world, one is the live attenuated vaccine with yellow fever virus earlier given the license in the country but is no longer existent since 2019, and the second generation vaccine which is also a live attenuated vaccine with dengue virus-like backbone and licensed in 40 countries in Europe, United States of America and Asia.
However, she admitted there is still a portion of the population that doubt the efficacy of the vaccines, thus the need for an aggressive information education campaign to allow people to learn about the benefits of the vaccine in protecting themselves from contracting the deadly virus.
Gloriani emphasized that the government and the people should not allow that the Philippines will remain as the country with the most number of cases, thus, the need for the members of the vulnerable sectors like the children and the elderly to be prioritized once the anti-dengue vaccine is given the license to be used for inoculated inoculation. By Dexter A. See
