Reacción a "Reactions: EMA gives green light to new dengue vaccine "

The approval of Takeda's dengue vaccine is very good news, and not least because it is long awaited. Dengue is the fastest growing emerging disease affecting tropical and subtropical areas of the world today and the approval of this vaccine in Europe provides an essential prevention tool for international travellers. The global growth of international travel is also a growing phenomenon with great health importance, both at the individual level and for global public health, as transits of people between countries are one of the main causes of the worldwide spread of infectious diseases. 

Protecting these travellers against dengue, one of the most frequent diagnoses in imported diseases, will result in a double benefit, protecting the individual and reducing the risk of importing this disease to the travellers' countries of origin in Europe, many of them - including Spain - countries where the risk of introduction and establishment of this disease is a reality, as the climatic conditions have favoured the introduction and adaptation of the main mosquito vector of dengue, Aedes albopictus (known as the "tiger mosquito"). 

As the press release notes, there is another vaccine approved by the EMA against this disease, but with a drawback that prevents its general use for the protection of travellers from non-dengue endemic areas. In order to be safely administered and exert its protective effect, previous infection with a serotype of the virus is required. Otherwise, the immune mechanisms that it would produce without this background constitute a greater risk than benefit, similar to what happens with infections by the various viral serotypes. This means that, in non-endemic countries without dengue, the vaccine is not marketed and is not used to protect international travellers. The new vaccine does not have this disadvantage and, therefore, it is expected to be widely used to protect the health of travellers.