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DENGUE
Find most of the information you need in these resources
Always refer to your local signed PGD's in practice, and remember the Green Book takes priority over the SPmC - and sometimes WHO takes priority over the Green Book! They don't always say the same!
Other useful links and further reading:
WHO factsheet - worth a read
NaTHNaC update on the use of Dengue vaccines in the UK
Check this out! The WHO Ten Threats to Global Health list has a special place just for Dengue! Not to be sniffed at this one.
Takeda resources: Dengue vaccine (Qdenga) information (health Care Professionals) and Dengue Awareness for Travellers (General Public).
DID YOU KNOW? Due to the close similarities with DENV and Zika virus (ZIKV), it has recently been discovered that antibody-dependent disease enhancement can also happen in DENV infected patients with previous ZIKV infection. Read all about it here.
Recent Updates & News
OCTOBER 2024: LOOK WHAT'S HERE!! The new Dengue chapter has arrived in the Green Book. CHECK IT OUT!
August 2024: The Sanofi vaccine, Dengvaxia, is being discontinued in the third quarter of 2026
JAN 2023 An exciting new vaccine arrived! QDENGA! Travel clinics started stocking up. The SPC wasn't too specific about vaccinating seronegative travelers, so it started to get used privately. The SPC says: 'A protective immune response with Qdenga may not be elicited in all vaccinees against all serotypes of dengue virus and may decline over time. It is currently unknown whether a lack of protection could result in an increased severity of dengue'. Everyone was eagerly awaiting JCVI advice on this!
MARCH 2024 THEN THE ADVICE CAME! JCVI stated that Qdenga vaccination 'could not be advised for seronegative individuals in the UK' and that they 'couldn’t recommend vaccination for seronegative individuals'. This seems to be mainly because of an absence of evidence for dengue types 3 and 4 (by my understanding). Clinics had to re-evaluate their use of the vaccine and many ceased administering it (to seronegative travelers anyway) while more guidance was awaited. But it is not a straightforward process to determine seropositivity. Guidance is hence being developed with the UKHSA Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory on best practices for investigating possible previous dengue infection. Visit this page on NaTHNaC for more information.
Bits and bobs to casually drop into conversation
Did you know....
Half the world is at risk of Dengue now (the WHO estimates 4 billion people). In 2019, 5.2M cases of dengue infections were reported worldwide. This increased from over 500 thousand cases in 2000.
A recent estimate of 390 million dengue infections occurring globally per year, with 96 million presenting with symptoms puts a spotlight on the potential impact of dengue on populations in endemic regions.
in 2010, France and Croatia saw their first cases of dengue spreading locally. In 2022, 66 cases of dengue were reported in France and 1 in Spain. In 2023 there were 9 outbreaks of Dengue in France. Pretty close to home!! Two words: Climate Change.
