The Department of Health (DOH) today revealed that a dengue vaccine, which has been under the first Asian dengue vaccine efficacy trial for more than two years now, showed a promising overall efficacy of 56.5%. Secretary of Health Enrique T. Ona explained that 56.5% efficacy means that more than half of the subjects did not get dengue compared to the group that did not receive the vaccine. The study also showed that after three doses, the vaccine reduced the possibility of a subject developing dengue hemorrhagic fever by 88.5%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Also during the observation period, a 67% reduction in the risk of hospitalization due to dengue was observed. Ona added that the study on the dengue vaccine efficacy was performed in five Asian countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The said study involved 10,275 children (2-14 years old). In the Philippines, there were 3,500 children coming from Cebu and San Pablo. The measured efficacy of the dengue vaccine during the 25-month observation is consistent across countries and appears to vary by dengue serotypes between 34.7% and 72.4%. Further, the measured efficacy appeared to increase with age, possibly as a marker of prior exposure to dengue. “These results are of great public health importance due to the high incidence of dengue and its disruptive effect on the health system,” Ona said, adding that this vaccine should significantly contribute to achieving the Global Strategy for Dengue Prevention and Control Goals set by the WHO, which is 50% mortality reduction and 25% morbidity reduction by 2020. This study will be complemented with another similar efficacy study performed in five Latin American countries, namely: Mexico, Brazil, Honduras, Peru and Colombia. Meanwhile, the number of dengue cases nationwide from January 1 to July 2 of the current year now stands at 31,088. There were 134 deaths recorded. This year’s number of cases is 60.78% lower compared to the same period last year (79,274). Most of the cases came from Eastern Visayas (3,088), SOCCKSARGEN (3,077), Northern Mindanao (2,894), CALABARZON (2,768), and Davao Region (2,757). The majority (53.58%) of the cases were male. Most (37.08%) of the cases belonged to the 5-14 years age group. At the National Capital Region, most of the cases are from Manila (414), Quezon City (394), Las Piñas (181), Caloocan (172), Pasig City (156), Parañaque City (155), and Taguig City (136).
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 08:18:57 +0000
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