Dengue fever is now like the flu, WHO chief says, calling on countries to consider ‘practical values’ of new vaccine
- Food and Drug Administration in US gives Dengvaxia the nod, but Hong Kong officials say it is not suitable for city’s residents
- Takeshi Kasai, the World Health Organisation’s new regional director, says disease is not containable
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) top man in the Western Pacific region has called on dengue fever endemic countries to consider the practical values of the world’s first vaccine to fight against the mosquito-borne disease, given a significant spike around the region.
Dr Takeshi Kasai, who visited Hong Kong for the first time as the WHO’s new regional director earlier in May, said dengue fever should be managed just like seasonal flu.
“Dengue is not like in the past when you had a few cases then contained it,” Kasai said. “It is no longer that kind of disease. Dengue is now with us. It’s like seasonal influenza.”
Kasai met with Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee, Director of Health Dr Constance Chan Hon-yee, and Centre for Health Protection controller Dr Wong Ka-hing during his stay, and exchanged views on measures to combat the spread of dengue fever in the city.
The Food and Drug Administration in the United States has approved a vaccine called Dengvaxia, which is designed to prevent the disease caused by all strains of the virus in children aged between nine and 16, but is only for those “who have laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection and who live in endemic areas”.
