Is the dengue vaccine effective in preventing dengue fever?

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is the most common disease spreading in subtropical and tropical areas such as in Indonesia. This disease can be prevented quite effectively through immunization. What is the dengue vaccine and are there any side effects of this immunization? The following is a complete explanation regarding the immunization of children with dengue types.

What is the dengue vaccine?

Dengue immunization is a vaccine to prevent dengue infection so that it can reduce the risk of a child getting a severe dengue infection.

Severe dengue infection can have the impact of leaking blood plasma or the child going into shock. This condition can cause death in some cases of DHF.

Dengue virus is the cause of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) which is transmitted through mosquito bites Aedes aegypti . The vaccine that is injected into your child's body contains the deadly dengue virus.

This will help the child's immune system to form antibodies that function to recognize potential foreign substances and fight viruses or bacteria that enter their body.

Quoting from the official website of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the dengue virus has 4 different serotypes: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-2, and DEN-4. Usually you and your little one get only one serotype of the virus at one time of infection.

Through dengue immunization, your body can build immunity against all dengue virus serotypes. This vaccine is given 3 times at a distance of 6 months.

To get the dengue vaccine, you can come directly to the nearest hospital or health clinic and ask about its availability.

Unfortunately, this vaccine is not yet available at the Puskesmas because it has not been included in the national immunization program. Currently, the price is still quite expensive, namely around 1 million rupiah per 1 vaccine injection.

How does the dengue vaccine work?

Quoting from WHO, this type of vaccine was successfully produced and tested by Sanofi Pasteur, known as Dengvaxia. This vaccine is the first dengue vaccine in the world.

Over the past 20 years, Dengvaxia has undergone 25 clinical trials in 15 countries around the world. There are already tens of thousands of study participants who are undergoing clinical trials of this dengue vaccine.

Research published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2015 sheds light on the efficacy of Dengvaxia.

The vaccine is given to children around 9 years of age and it is concluded that this vaccine is effective in preventing infection of four types of dengue virus with a success rate of up to 66 percent.

This study also shows that Dengvaxia DHF immunization can reduce the chances of DHF patients being hospitalized (hospitalized). In addition, Dengvaxia can prevent dengue virus infection from getting worse in patients.

How about this DBD vaccine distribution permit?

Dengvaxia was approved by WHO at the end of 2015. Mexico became the first country to allow this vaccine.

Don't worry, this dengue vaccine has finished undergoing phase III clinical trials to ensure its safety and efficacy. In Southeast Asia, phase III clinical trials were completed in 2017.

In Indonesia alone, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has granted Dengvaxia distribution permits since September 2016. This means Indonesia is the second country to approve the use of the dengue vaccine.

As of 2017, there have been a total of eleven countries that allow the distribution of the Dengvaxia vaccine. Among them are the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Honduras, Singapore and Colombia.

Who needs to get the dengue vaccine (DHF)?

Based on recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this vaccine can be given to children from 9-16 years of age.

Dengue immunization is given three times with a distance of six months for each immunization. Unlike the hepatitis B vaccine and MMR vaccine which has an immunization schedule, there is no specific time for this vaccine, as long as the child is 9 years old.

What if the child is late in immunization? It is not recommended for children under 9 years of age to get the dengue vaccine.

This is because the dengue vaccine will increase the risk of being treated for dengue infection. Not only that, vaccines can actually increase the risk of developing severe dengue.

It is highly recommended that children who have been infected with dengue be given the dengue vaccine (DHF). The reason is, it is impossible for children to be infected by all four types of dengue viruses at the same time.

The problem is, if a child has dengue hemorrhagic fever by one type, the child may still be infected with dengue by other types of dengue virus.

Children aged 9-16 years will be given this vaccine 3 times, every 6 months apart.

Not recommended for children who have never had dengue fever

The WHO requested the dengue immunization with the Dengvaxia brand for a review. This review was carried out because on November 29, 2017, Sanofi, as the pharmaceutical company that made Dengvaxia, revealed the latest research results.

He said that the dengue vaccine will be effective for children who have had dengue fever, whereas if they have never experienced dengue there is a suspicion that it will actually make it worse.

According to Sanofi, for children who have previously had dengue fever and then receive a vaccine, it can prevent recurrent infections.

However, for children who have never had dengue fever, if they later experience dengue, the side effect of this immunization is the risk of the child experiencing a more severe and severe infection.

How about Indonesia? Based on the journal entitled Safety of Dengue Vaccines in Children published in 2019, IDAI directs Indonesian pediatricians to delay the provision of dengue vaccine.

The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) issued a distribution permit for the dengue vaccine since August 31, 2016 and is valid until 2021. It is necessary to provide the dengue vaccine with an important note, namely only for children who have been infected with the dengue virus or have experienced dengue.

Dengue vaccine serves to reduce the risk of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in children aged 9-16 years who have been previously infected with the virus.

What needs to be considered in administering the dengue vaccine?

Dengue vaccine is indeed useful for preventing the possibility of children developing DHF in the future. However, there are several things that need to be considered in giving this immunization.

Vaccines are a preventive measure

The thing to remember is that immunization is only one way to prevent dengue infection. There are still many combinations of other factors that can reduce the spread of the dengue virus that can be done.

What needs to be done to reduce the spread of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is a healthy and clean lifestyle.

Indonesia itself is the second country in the world with the highest number of dengue cases after Brazil. Apart from using fogging and the 3M principle (Cover-Drain-Bury), the prevention of dengue fever must be started from within the body through the protection of the dengue vaccine.

It is not recommended for minors to receive the dengue vaccine

Dengue vaccine will be most effective as a control and cure for dengue fever when given to children aged 9-16 years. However, if your child has not reached this age, you should not give the dengue vaccine yet.

The reason is, if the dengue vaccine is given too early to children under the age of 9 years, this vaccine can increase the risk of the child being hospitalized because of dengue which takes a long time.

In addition, the risk of experiencing severe DHF is also higher and of course carries its own risks of dangers and complications.

Most importantly, make sure if your child has to get the dengue vaccine, this step is a recommendation from your doctor.

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