The world’s first single-dose vaccine to prevent dengue has been approved for licensure in Brazil, after 16 years of research by scientists at the University of Vermont Vaccine Testing Center (UVM), in partnership with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH).
Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne disease worldwide and almost half of the world’s population lives in risk areas. Along with high fever and severe pain in muscles and bones, the virus can cause shock, bleeding and even death.
With more than 100 million cases reported annually, dengue poses a growing threat around the world, including the United States. In 2024, Brazil will register 5.9 million cases of dengue and more than 6,000 deaths.
In addition to the approval of the vaccine, Mosnodenivir, a promising new antiviral drug designed to prevent infection and disease in people exposed to the dengue virus, will now advance.
Thanks to clinical trials at the UVM Vaccine Testing Center and JHSPH, the antiviral could prove extremely useful during outbreaks and can be used by travelers and those who cannot receive the vaccine. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Beth Kirkpatrick, professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the UVM Robert Larner School of Medicine, MD, described these milestones as a turning point in the global prevention and treatment of dengue.
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Since 2009, more than 27 clinical trials have been conducted at UVM and JHSPH to develop this vaccine, yielding important scientific and immunological insights.
At UVM, the new research on dengue antiviral treatment was led by Dr. Kristen Pierce, co-director of the Vaccine Testing Center and professor of medicine, along with Durbin’s team at JHSPH. About 80 volunteers participated in clinical trials at the two sites.
Volunteers were randomly assigned to receive the treatment or a placebo before receiving a dose of a mild strain of dengue virus.
Newslodge