NIH begins testing dengue vaccine

[Guest guest]

I knew it. They've been developing a vaccine and now need to pump up the fear in order to test it/sell it.

Winnie

(http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/10/nih-begins-testing-dengue-vaccine/)

August 10th, 2010

03:14 PM ET

NIH begins testing dengue vaccine

The National Institutes of Health has begun human clinical testing for a vaccine to prevent dengue infection, according to a news release.

The illness is acquired through the bite of certain species of mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti, but also Aedes albopictus. Around the world, about 2.5 billion people live in areas where they are at risk.

The mosquitoes are also present in Florida, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And recently, the Florida Department of Health confirmed an increase in cases of dengue fever acquired in the Key West area with a count of 24, as of mid-July. Also 49 cases of “imported” dengue fever have been reported in Florida, involving people who’ve traveled to areas under a dengue endemic, such as the Caribbean or Central and South America.

CNN: Florida confirms 24 cases of dengue fever in Key West

The NIH has been developing a vaccine for more than a decade, according to the news release. Dengue infection can range from mild symptoms to severe hemorrhagic fever or shock syndrome, causing coma or death.

'Indescribable, crazy pain': Surviving dengue fever

The vaccine is undergoing clinical study at the s Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, land. Designed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the vaccine is to protect against all four dengue viruses, ENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4, which are transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. The early clinical trials will test the vaccine’s safety and ability to stimulate immune responses.