India first dengue vaccine news: India has approved its first vaccine to prevent dengue, marking a major step in tackling one of the country's most common mosquito-borne diseases. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has granted approval to Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda's dengue vaccine, QDENGA (TAK-003).

The approval comes at a time when dengue cases continue to rise across the country due to rapid urbanisation, climate change, expanding mosquito habitats and growing population. Health experts believe the vaccine could help reduce severe infections and hospital admissions during seasonal outbreaks.

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QDENGA is a live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine designed to provide protection against all four types of the dengue virus—DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4.

One of its biggest advantages is that people do not need to undergo a blood test to confirm a previous dengue infection before getting vaccinated. This makes it easier to include in large-scale vaccination programmes.

The vaccine is already approved in more than 40 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Indonesia and Argentina.

Why is this approval important for India?

India reports one of the highest numbers of dengue cases globally, with outbreaks becoming more frequent every year, especially during and after the monsoon season.

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Until now, dengue prevention mainly depended on:

Controlling mosquito breeding

Preventing mosquito bites

Early diagnosis

Timely medical treatment

Public awareness campaigns

The introduction of a vaccine adds another important layer of protection against the disease.

Who can receive the vaccine?

Detailed prescribing guidelines for India are expected to be released by CDSCO and Takeda during the commercial launch. In several other countries, QDENGA has been approved for both children and adults, regardless of whether they have had dengue before. This is different from the older dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, which is recommended only for people with a confirmed previous dengue infection.

How is the vaccine given?

QDENGA is administered as two doses, with a gap of three months between them. The vaccine is given through a subcutaneous injection (under the skin). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends its use in countries where dengue is a major public health concern.

How effective is QDENGA?

The vaccine's effectiveness was studied in the Phase III TIDES clinical trial involving more than 20,000 children and adolescents across eight dengue-endemic countries. The study found that after 4.5 years of follow-up, the vaccine provided:

84% protection against dengue-related hospitalisation

Around 61% protection against confirmed dengue infection

Strong protection against severe dengue in people with and without previous dengue infection, although protection varied across different virus strains.

These results played a key role in WHO's recommendation and approvals by regulators around the world.

- With inputs from agencies

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