World’s first dengue vaccine to be released soon

KUALA LUMPUR - The first dengue vaccine in the world is set to be unveiled.

Developed by the Health Ministry together with a private company, the vaccine is set to become a medical breakthrough. While there are some ongoing vaccine development programmes, there has so far been no tested and approved vaccine for the dengue virus, reports The New Straits Times Online.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican told the New Sunday Times that clinical trials would commence soon.

Dengue manifests as a sudden onset of severe headache, muscle and joint pains, fever, and rash. The dengue rash is characteristically bright red petechiae and usually appears first on the lower limbs and the chest; in some patients, it spreads to cover most of the body. There may also be gastritis with some combination of associated abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Dengue fever is caused by Dengue virus (DENV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus. (ANI)