Single-dose dengue vaccine found safe and effective in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, where dengue is endemic now, a ground-breaking study by researchers from icddr,b and the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont (UVM) has yielded encouraging results for a tetravalent dengue vaccine. The research, recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, focused on evaluating the safety and immune response of the single-dose tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate TV005 in children and adults.

The study followed nearly 200 volunteers from four age groups (1–49 years) over three years, starting in 2016. TV005 demonstrated excellent tolerability, with the most common side effect being a mild rash. After vaccination, antibodies against all four dengue serotypes were detected in most participants, and those who had previously been infected with dengue had higher antibody levels.

Dengue virus (DENV) poses a growing threat to South Asian populations, but few vaccine evaluations have taken place in countries like India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh. TV005, a live, attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine, was administered to volunteers in this study.

The findings were promising, indicating that the single-dose TV005 vaccine was safe and generated immune responses against all four dengue serotypes in individuals ranging from young children to adults. Additionally, antibody levels remained stable in most adults after three years of follow-up.

This research is a significant step towards combating dengue in regions where it poses a significant health threat. The study's results suggest that TV005 could be a valuable tool in the fight against dengue, offering hope for better protection and prevention in dengue-endemic areas of the world.