Malaysia: Dengue Vaccine Trials

 

 

# 5103

 

 

Although there are no approved vaccines to protect against Dengue fever there are a number of vaccine candidates being developed and tested around the world.  

 

Last August I wrote about a Phase I trial being conducted by the NIH.

 

The need is great, as the global burden of Dengue is immense, with 2.5 billion people – two fifths of the world's population – at risk of infection.

 

The World Health Organization  estimates there may be as many as 50 million dengue infections each year. 

 

Dengue’s spread has increased dramatically over the past 50 years, and since the 1950s a rare, but far more serious form of the disease – DHF or (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever) –  has emerged.

 

 

 

Malaysia, which views dengue as an increasingly serious health threat, has been working on several cutting edge solutions.

 

They are planning the release of Genetically Modified (GM) mosquitoes (see The Latest Buzz On GM Mosquitoes), and human trials of Sanofi Pasteur’s experimental dengue vaccine are currently underway.

 

First a report on the Malaysian trials, which involve about 300 test subjects, then I’ll return with more. 

 

This from ANN (Asian News Network).

 

Dengue vaccine trials under way in 5 Malaysian states

ANN - Wednesday, December 1

 

 

The race to produce a safe and effective dengue vaccine involves a number of different companies and entities, including Sanofi, the NIAID vaccine trials, GlaxoSmithKline , Hawaii Biotech Inc (HBI), and an entry created by Inviragen and the CDC.

 

One of the major obstacles in developing a vaccine is that there are four strains of dengue; DEN1 – DEN4. Single strain live attenuated Dengue vaccines have been developed and tested, and seem effective.

 

They aren’t considered a good solution, however, because having antibodies to one strain of dengue can make an individual more likely to develop the more dangerous hemorrhagic form of dengue when exposed to a different strain.

 

What is needed is a combination vaccine; one that protects against all four strains. It turns out that this is more complicated than simply mixing four single-strain vaccines together into a single shot.

 

Progress is being made, however. There are a number of promising trials underway. 

 

The bad news is, it may still be several years before any of these vaccines becomes available to the public.

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Malaysia: `Terminator’ Mosquito Field Test On Hold

 

 

 

# 4916

 

 

Earlier this year the Malaysian government announced that they would conduct a field test of a new, genetically modified mosquito designed by British-based insect bio-tech company, Oxitec.

This so-called `Terminator’ mosquito has been bio-engineered to carry a lethal gene that it will pass on to its progeny, that will cause them to die in the larval stage.

 

Oxitec has a short  FAQ page on their technology, which you can access here.

 

The hope is that a release of several thousand of these GM mosquitoes could help reduce the burden of Dengue in hard-hit Malaysia, and provide a limited field test of the technology as well.

 

But critics and activists have mounted a vigorous campaign to dissuade the Malaysian government from allowing this test.  They fear that the introduction of an `artificial’ mosquito into the environment could spark  unintended, and harmful, consequences.

 

In 2009, another planned release of GM mosquitoes on Pulau Ketam island off the port city of Port Klang was aborted because of vocal opposition from the residents.

 

Last week, the opposition to this latest release grew stronger, as was reported by IPS.

 

Plan to Use ‘Killer’ Mosquitoes vs Dengue Draws Fire

By Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 17, 2010 (IPS) 

 

 

Today, embedded mid-way into a report by IOL News, which reports on the 53% increase in Dengue deaths this year in Malaysia, we get word that this planned GM mosquito test would not be implemented, `at the moment’.

 

Dengue fever death rate spirals

    September 20 2010 at 01:59PM

 

Deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin stated today:

"Seemingly it is quite an interesting (solution) to deal with such a problem but I think... not until and unless every aspect of research being carried out is clinically tested and... environmental issues have been addressed . . . "

 

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