Dengue

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru recently revealed that the Dengue virus in India has evolved dramatically.
• Study found that the cases of mosquito-borne viral disease have steadily increased in the last 50 years, predominantly in South-East Asian counties.

About Dengue Fever

• The dengue virus belongs to the family Flaviviridae and has four serotypes: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4.
• It is an illness spread by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitos which also carry viruses like Zika and chikungunya.
• The virus is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions, including Central and South America, Africa, parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
• Mild dengue fever causes a high fever and flu-like symptoms.
• The severe form of dengue fever, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause serious bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.
• It isn’t contagious from person to person except when passed from a pregnant person to their child.
• There is no specific treatment for dengue. The focus is on treating pain symptoms.

Dengue vaccine

• Dengvaxia or CYD-TDV has been approved by the US Food & Drug Administration, the first dengue vaccine to get the regulatory nod in the US.
  • Dengvaxia is basically a live, attenuated dengue virus.