Dengue vaccine benefits and risks: New study notes dangerous regions

A new study published Thursday in the journal Science suggests the world’s first approved dengue vaccine may harm people if improperly distributed. While Dengvaxia can prevent people who have already survived dengue from coming down with a second devastating infection, it can also make people who weren’t previously exposed to dengue more vulnerable to a later infection down the road, so it only makes sense to vaccinate people in areas with a high risk of transmission. Although Dengvaxia was created to immunize someone from all four strains, it’s only moderately effective, so the chances of someone not being fully protected are more than likely. Currently, the three-dose vaccine is approved for use in six countries, and it has been endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), although only for areas of the world with high dengue transmission. Nearly 400 million people are infected by dengue annually in around 120 countries, with nearly half...