TOWARDS DENGUE VIRUS-VACCINES

Dengue is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes significant morbidit y and mortality in tropical countries. Dengue is found in almost all t ropical countries where Aedes aegypti circulates. An alarming increase in the incidence of this disease has been observed since the early 80 's with both the distribution and frequency of dengue hemorrhagic dise ase and shock syndrome increasing. Therefore efficient prophylaxis is urgently required to protect billions of humans against this disease. Studies on dengue started about 90 years ago and the first vaccination with inactivated virus was described by G. Blanc, the Director of the Pasteur Institute in Athens. Since then and after numerous efforts, l ive attenuated dengue viruses have been produced by serial passages in cell culture and are under trials in Thailand. This type of vaccine m ay conceivably be used gs the first generation of vaccine within the d ecade.