WHO prequalifies second dengue vaccine for children aged 6 to 16 years

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this Wednesday the prequalification of a second dengue vaccine, TAK-003, which will be administered in two doses to children aged 6 to 16 years.

“The prequalification of TAK-003 is an important step in expanding global access to dengue vaccines as they are now eligible for procurement by United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) or the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).” This was stated by WHO Director for Regulation and Prequalification Rogerio Gaspar.

“As only two vaccines have been prequalified so far, we hope that more pharmaceutical companies will participate in the evaluation so that we can ensure that the vaccines reach all the communities that need them,” the official added.

In addition to Sanofi Pasteur’s CYD-TDV vaccine, WHO now recommends the use of TAK-003, developed by Taneka, in children aged 6 to 16 years in areas with high dengue transmission rates. According to a statement released this Wednesday, the vaccine was administered in two doses three months apart.

Lusophone Brazil and Cape Verde were two countries where a dengue fever outbreak was reported in recent months.

Dengue is a disease transmitted by an infected mosquito and is potentially fatal in its most severe cases.

WHO estimates that there are between 100 and 400 million cases of dengue each year and that 3.8 billion people live in countries where the disease is endemic, most of which are in Asia, Africa and the Americas.

The highest number of dengue cases was reported last year, with 4.5 million cases and 2,300 deaths, in a context in which the number is likely to increase and expand geographically due to urbanization and climate change.