Bangladesh is contemplating the initiation of clinical trials for a dengue vaccine following a significant surge in dengue cases that has overwhelmed hospitals and resulted in hundreds of fatalities, a government minister announced on Tuesday.
Since the start of the year, more than 90,350 individuals have been hospitalized due to dengue, with 281 deaths reported, official health ministry figures. The outbreak has intensified sharply in October alone, with 10,736 hospitalizations and 36 deaths recorded during the month.
The country’s healthcare system is simultaneously grappling with a severe measles outbreak that has claimed the lives of over 1,100 children, compounding the strain on medical resources. Recent rainfall has created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes, raising fears that the dengue epidemic could escalate further.
Dengue, transmitted through mosquito bites, causes symptoms including fever and intense muscle and joint pain. State Minister for Health M.A. Muhit informed the press that all four dengue virus serotypes have been detected in Bangladesh, increasing the risk of repeated infections since immunity to one serotype does not protect against the others.
“With all four dengue serotypes now circulating in Bangladesh, we are considering conducting vaccine trials in the country,” Muhit stated. Health experts have noted that dengue transmission is no longer confined to major urban centers and emphasized that mosquito spraying alone will not effectively control the disease unless breeding sites are eliminated.
Any proposed vaccine trials would require regulatory approval and could form part of a broader, long-term strategy to combat dengue in Bangladesh. The country experienced its deadliest dengue outbreak on record in 2023, with more than 1,700 deaths attributed to the disease.
Leave an opinion