The government of Brazil, a South American country, has approved the use of the world’s first single dose vaccine for protection against dengue.
According to a medical website, the vaccine developed in Brazil has been approved for use in dengue infected individuals aged 12 to 59 years.
Before approval, the vaccine underwent eight years of trials, and after excellent results, the government authorized its use.
The vaccine has been developed in Brazil with the assistance of a Chinese company, and it contains a live dengue virus, similar to how the polio vaccine uses a live polio virus.
Results showed that after vaccination, overall symptoms of dengue fever were reduced by up to 74%.
Results also indicated that severe dengue symptoms decreased by up to 84% after receiving the single dose.
The vaccine is considered safe for individuals aged 12 to 59, and it is expected that it will soon be developed for younger and older age groups as well.
For now, the vaccine will be used only in Brazil, but it is likely to be exported to other countries in the next phase.
Prior to Brazil’s single dose dengue vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) had approved only one dengue vaccine, which requires two doses administered three months apart.
