Dengue vaccine: Should I take?
Dengue infection, a mosquito-borne viral disease, remains prevalent in Malaysia since its outbreak in the 1980s. Dengue virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and the number of dengue cases has significantly increased in comparison to previous years, with its highest concentration of cases in Selangor. Up till 12th November 2024, Selangor already recorded almost 56000 dengue cases, which is 50% of the national cumulative dengue cases.
Dengue infection can be caused by any of the four serotypes – DENV-1, 2, 3 and 4, which leads to a wide spectrum of symptoms. Some people who are infected by dengue has no symptoms or unnoticeable, some may have mild to severe symptoms. Severe dengue can be life-threatening within a few hours and need close monitoring in a hospital. Dengue symptoms may be observed 4 – 10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito, lasting 2 – 7 days.
The most common symptoms of dengue is fever with any of the following:
– Aches and pains (Headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle, joint or bone pain)
– Nausea and/or vomiting
– Rashes
– Fatigue
There is a newly available dengue vaccine in Malaysia called Qdenga, manufactured by Takeda and received approval by Ministry of Health. This is a live attenuated tetravalent vaccine, which means it protects against all four types of dengue virus.
It is recommended to be taken by individuals from the age of 4 years and above for the prevention of dengue infection. It is given as a 0.5ml dose at a two-dose (0 and 3 months) schedule.
What are the side effects of Qdenga dengue vaccine?
The most common side effects are usually mild and occur in 1 out of 5 people, which includes pain and redness at injection site, muscle pain, headache and feeling generally unwell. These reactions usually occur within 2 days after the injection and resolve within a few days, and are less frequent after the second dose of vaccine than the first.
Is Qdenga dengue vaccine effective in preventing dengue?
According to a main study in 8 countries in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region, about 20,000 children between 4 years old and 16 years old were given Qdenga or placebo (a dummy injection). The study showed a reduction by 80% in the number of fever cases caused by confirmed dengue disease in those who received the vaccine compared with those given placebo.
The vaccine also reduced hospitalisation due to dengue by 90%. In the 18 months after receiving the second injection, 0.1% (13 out of 12,700) of children given the vaccine were hospitalised because of confirmed dengue, compared with 1.0% (66 out of 6,316) of children given placebo.
Therefore, this vaccine was shown to be effective at preventing fever due to dengue disease in children and adolescents in the 12 months following the second injection.
Stay protected against dengue infection. Get vaccinated in our clinic today!
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