PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) Jul 25 – The world’s first vaccine against dengue, developed by French drugmaker Sanofi SA, has shown the ability to protect against disease caused by three of four virus strains in a keenly awaited clinical trial in Thailand.

According to the CDC:

As many as 100 million people are infected yearly. Dengue is caused by any one of four related viruses transmitted by mosquitoes.

Epidemiology

Dengue fever (DF) is caused by any of four closely related viruses, or serotypes: dengue 1-4. Infection with one serotype does not protect against the others, and sequential infections put people at greater risk for dengue hemorraghic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

Transmission:

Dengue is transmitted between people by the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, which are found throughout the world. Insects that transmit disease are vectors.  Symptoms of infection usually begin 4 – 7 days after the mosquito bite and typically last 3 – 10 days.  In order for transmission to occur the mosquito must feed on a person during a 5- day period when large amounts of virus are in the blood

Global Dengue

Today about 2.5 billion people, or 40% of the world’s population, live in areas where there is a risk of dengue transmission

Dengue in the United States

Nearly all dengue cases reported in the 48 continental states were acquired elsewhere by travelers or immigrants.

For more information go to:

http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/dengue/Denguepublication/en/

 

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