How does the world deal with dengue fever?
(Baonghean.vn) - Dengue fever has now appeared and spread to 61 provinces and cities in our country. Countries around the world have also had dengue fever outbreaks, and how do they deal with the dengue fever epidemic?
 |
| Illustration |
According to the World Health Organization WHO, there are approximately 400 million cases of dengue fever each year, 1% of which are fatal, and 40% of the world's population is at risk of infection.
This year, dengue fever is showing signs of outbreak in many countries such as Portugal, France, the US and Japan. Some countries such as China, Malaysia, Cambodia, India are also increasing cases after many years without an epidemic.
1. America
 |
| Illustration photo. |
As a developed country with advanced medicine, the US is not immune to dengue fever occurring to its people. The US government and the European Union (EU) contributed funding to the Sanofi healthcare group to research and produce vaccines against the Zika virus and dengue virus in early 2016. The project cost nearly 1.65 billion USD for research, production and awaiting approval from 20 countries around the world.
Millions of doses of the vaccine have already been produced and are ready to be shipped to the EU and countries in Asia and Latin America. However, the US and other governments are still conducting small-scale trials on a few subjects in the research group to monitor the progress of the disease's resistance to the virus.
2. Mexico
 |
| Illustration |
In December 2016, Mexico approved and authorized the use of the world's first vaccine against dengue virus. Notably, this vaccine is the one that Sanofi Group developed and proposed to test in the countries around the world mentioned above. Although it has been reported to be safe and effective, this vaccine is mainly used for people from 9 to 45 years old, not for children.
The Mexican government said it would prioritize vaccination in areas with outbreaks and high risk of infection. Mexico's National Vaccination Committee will also consider providing the vaccine for free nationwide.
3. Philippines
After Mexico, the Philippines is the second country to widely vaccinate against dengue fever with Sanofi's vaccine. Janette Garin, Secretary of the Philippine Department of Health, said that the program is being implemented in the public health system and public schools. Specifically, more than 1 million students in 6,000 schools in the areas with the highest dengue fever outbreaks in the country have been vaccinated.
The Philippines is one of the Asian countries most affected by the disease. In 2013, about 200,000 people were infected.
4. Singapore
 |
| Spraying pesticides to prevent disease in Singapore. Photo: Getty |
Similar to Japan, the Lion City has adopted an environmentally friendly approach to dengue prevention. A vector control program that detects high-incidence areas and mosquito larvae has been in place since 1968. Once the results are collected, the Singapore government will clean up and eradicate the water habitats of mosquito larvae, preventing outbreaks.
5. Japan
Since 2014, Japan has been facing a resurgence of dengue fever, which was thought to have been eradicated in 1945. These cases are believed to have been transmitted by tourists visiting Tokyo, also known as imported dengue fever.
The Japanese government has taken steps to clean up the environment. Medical and rescue workers in protective gear and masks have been spraying insecticide and draining public sewers.
6. Vietnam
 |
| Spraying insecticide to prevent the risk of dengue fever outbreak. |
The General Department of Preventive Medicine said that after receiving new recommendations from the WHO on licensing the use of vaccines this year, Vietnam will make its own decision regarding the circulation of the new vaccine. However, health experts said that before being officially applied, this vaccine still has to go through a process of clinical research, effectiveness assessment and completion of procedural documents that is expected to last for years.
In Vietnam, on July 20, a conference to strengthen dengue fever prevention was held with the participation of many medical experts from across the country. According to statistics, the number of dengue fever patients nationwide is currently 57,492 cases, 15 deaths, an increase of nearly 10% compared to 2016. The epidemic is said to be progressing in an increasing and stronger direction.
The world's first dengue vaccine is available! The approval of a dengue vaccine in Mexico is seen as a major step forward in preventing the mosquito-borne disease that threatens half the world's population. Clinical trials involving more than 40,000 people in 15 countries showed that the Dengvaxia vaccine immunized two-thirds of vaccinees aged 9 and older, and provided up to 93% protection against severe dengue; while reducing the risk of hospitalization by up to 80%. It is worth noting that this vaccine is not given to children under 9 years old because studies show that the protective effect for this age group is very low. Previously, this vaccine has been researched and developed for 20 years with a budget of up to 1.5 billion euros (equivalent to 1.65 billion USD), including investment in production, as well as waiting for approval from at least 19 countries. However, according to experts' calculations, this company will start earning 1 billion USD per year from 2018 or 2019. According to Bloomberg's estimates, for vaccinated subjects aged 9-45 living in high-risk areas, the revenue of this vaccine will reach 1.4 billion USD in 2020. Millions of doses of the vaccine have now been produced and shipped around the world, including to the EU in early 2016 and the US in 2017. |
Peace
(Synthetic)
| RELATED NEWS |
|---|
