The most promising vaccine for Dengue Fever was not very successful
in its first clinical trial. Only 30 percent effective, it disappointed all who
thought they may finally have the answer to “the disease that threatens half of
the world’s population.” Dengue Fever is a viral infection that is contracted
through mosquito bites. It is found all over the world mainly in tropical and
sub-tropical areas, however, it has developed in urban and sub-urban areas at a
high rate. There are mainly two types of the disease, Dengue Fever and Server
Dengue Fever. A person with Dengue Fever has server flu-like symptoms, and will
likely recover. A victim with Server Dengue Fever has symptoms like: a
decreased temperature, rapid breathing, restlessness, severe abdominal pain,
death, bleeding gums, fatigue, persistent vomiting, and blood in their vomit.
If a person receives early medical treatment the risk of death drops to 1% or
less. There is no vaccine or real treatment for the virus. The only treatment
available right now is the maintaining of bodily fluids.
The
article, “In a Setback, Sanofi’s Dengue Fever Vaccine Falls Short of Its Goal”, told of how the leading Dengue vaccine didn’t
do as well as hoped, however, there is still good news; this vaccine shows that
there is a possibility of even having a vaccine. A vaccine is of the greatest
importance because of the rising number reported cases and the fact there is no
prevention except for mosquito control. The disease is mainly fatal to children,
who contract it because their bodies aren’t as strong as adults. The vaccine
that Sanofi created was useful in creating 3 out of the 4 strands of Dengue
Fever. However the main cause of disease in the area tested was “stereotype 2”,
which was the only strand the vaccine didn’t work on. No one is sure why the
vaccine didn’t work for type 2 because it did have an immune response to type 2,
just no results. More testing and trials are being created to try to find a
cure for this disease that threatens so much of the world.
09/13/12
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