Have Researchers Solved the Dengue Riddle?

By Jonathan Springston, Associate Managing Editor, AHC Media

An experimental vaccine protected all recipients against dengue virus in a virus challenge study, scientists announced recently.

The FDA and the NIH injected volunteers with dengue virus six months after receiving either an experimental dengue vaccine or a placebo injection. All 21 volunteers who received the vaccine, TV003, were protected from infection, while all 20 placebo recipients developed infection.

Scientists have been working for more than 100 years to crack the dengue code and this news may be “the final puzzle piece.” Even more promising, thanks to the success of this experimental dengue vaccine, researchers say they are using this experience to develop a vaccine to protect against Zika, another fast-moving virus spread in a similar fashion to dengue and one that has the medical community searching for answers.

In May, AHC Media will host a webinar featuring a panel of experts, including one from the CDC, who will provide clinicians everything they need to know about Zika, how to prevent it, and how to treat patients who present with the virus. Meanwhile, please visit reliasmedia.com/Zika for all the latest on the Zika crisis. Also, please read our newsletters for more in-depth Zika coverage, such as the April issue of ED Management.