Phase-3 trial for Panacea Biotech’s Dengue Vaccine

Tags: Science and Technology National News

The phase-3 trial of a dengue vaccine developed by Panacea Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is likely to begin in August or September 2023.

An overview of the news

• Phase-III clinical trial is being done for evaluation of efficacy, along with safety and immunogenicity of tetravalent dengue vaccine.

• Serum Institute of India and Panacea Biotech have applied for expression of interest for clinical trials for indigenous manufacturers of dengue vaccine.

What is Dengue?

• Commonly known as break bone fever, it is a flu-like illness caused by the dengue virus.

• It occurs when an Aedes mosquito carrying the virus bites a healthy person.

• The disease is mainly found in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.

Causes of Dengue

• It is caused due to four viruses, namely - DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4.

• The virus enters the mosquito when it bites an already infected person.

• The disease is transmitted when it bites a healthy person, and the virus is spread through the person's bloodstream.

Symptoms of Dengue

• Headache, Muscle, bone and joint pain, Nausea, Vomiting, swollen glands, Rash.

• Treatment

• There is no specific treatment for dengue.

• Early detection of severe dengue-associated illness and access to appropriate medical care reduce deaths from severe dengue.

• Diagnosis of dengue infection is done with a blood test.

Mosquito-borne diseases

• Malaria - This disease is caused by the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito.

• Malaria fever is caused by a virus called Plasmodium vivax.

• Dengue - Dengue virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.

• According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), dengue is the most widely spread disease by mosquitoes worldwide.

• Chikungunya - Chikungunya, like dengue, is caused by the bite of the Aedes mosquito.

• Yellow Fever - This disease is caused by the bite of a human from the Aedes mosquito, especially Aedes aegypti.

• Yellow fever is caused by flavivirus.