MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Japanese vaccine against dengue approved for use in Argentina

Between week 15 and week 16, there were 15,393 new infections, it was reported

Argentine health authorities have approved the use of a Japanese vaccine against dengue that needs to be administered in two doses three months apart from one another, it was reported in Buenos Aires.

 According to a statement from the Argentine Health Ministry, the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) approved the use in the country of a vaccine against dengue developed by the Japanese laboratory Takeda.

The regulatory agency approved the drug for people aged 4 and over, regardless of whether or not they have previously had the disease.

The vaccine, called TAK-003, is based on dengue virus 2, to which DNA from the other three serotypes is added to protect against any of the four types of dengue, it was explained.

TAK-003, also known as Qdenga, received its first approval in August 2022 in Indonesia, followed by the European Union in December 2022, and recently in Brazil.

Following approval by ANMAT, the Japanese laboratory will establish the protocols for starting the production process. This is for the shipment of a batch of the dengue vaccine to Argentina.

Dengue cases are spreading in Argentina, with more than 71,700 accumulated infections and 53 deaths between July 31, 2022, and April 22, 2023, the Health Ministry reported Saturday.

Of the 71,717 cases, 65,195 had no travel history, which proves community circulation of the pathogen, the Ministry said. It added that, between week 15 and week 16, there were 15,393 new infections.

The districts with the highest cumulative incidence (more than 100 dengue cases reported per 100,000 inhabitants) so far are the city of Buenos Aires and the provinces of Tucumán (north), Salta (northwest), Jujuy (northwest), Santa Fe (east) and Santiago del Estero (north).

As for the deaths, the official information indicated that the 53 deceased are 29 women and 24 men, with an average age of 54 years.