Tamil Nadu to study dengue vaccine’s effectiveness in Kadayanallur

Health Minister K. G. Arunraj on Saturday said that the Tamil Nadu government would undertake research in Kadayanallur to assess the effectiveness of Qdenga, a dengue vaccine developed by a Japanese company, against the prevailing dengue virus in the region.

Addressing the media in Kadayanallur after inaugurating a field study on the use of dengue vaccine and research projects to examine protection against mosquito bites using various types of mosquito repellents, Dr. Arunraj said that the initiative is aimed to ensure that no deaths occurred due to dengue.

“Dengue fever can lead to deaths. So far we have been controlling the spread of dengue by eliminating mosquito larvae and providing appropriate treatment to those affected.” he said.

He added that a Japan based private firm has developed a vaccine against dengue fever, and it had received a prequalification certificate from the World Health Organisation. (WHO).

Citing the research findings, Mr. Arunraj said that administering the vaccine in two doses, with a gap of three months between them, could provide 80% to 90% protection against dengue fever. He noted that the vaccine had been approved in more than 40 countries including Indonesia and Thailand. Brazil had also included the vaccination in its immunisation vaccination schedule, he said.

He further added, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had approved the vaccine in July, highlighting that Tamil Nadu has embarked on an initiative to introduce the dengue vaccine for the first time in the country, and as a first step we have selected Kadayanallur for introduction.

He explained that Kadayanallur has been selected because a large number of people in the area had been affected by dengue in the past and there had also been a high number of deaths.

“Furthermore, we are planning to conduct a study in Kadayanallur to determine whether mosquito repellents applied on skin and electric mosquito repellent vaporisers can protect people against mosquito bites,” he said.

Earlier during the programme, the minister also presented appointment orders to 30 nurses.

Minister for Environment and Climate Change V.K. Rajeev, Health Secretary Darez Ahamed, Tenkasi District Collector Ranjeet Singh and other officials were present.