The government is thinking about dengue vaccination in the long term to cut cases and deaths, but there is no plan to vaccinate against dengue at the moment, Health and Family Welfare state minister Dr MA Muhit said on Tuesday, 6 October. He was speaking at a scientific seminar on tackling the dengue crisis, organised by the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) at the Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital auditorium in Dhaka, Samakal reports.
"There is talk about vaccines in the long term. There are probably three candidate dengue vaccines in the world right now. There is thinking and discussion in our country too, but it is not happening right now," he said. Referring to a recent visit to Japan, he said Japan also has a candidate vaccine, but more work and testing are needed before any decision.
All types of dengue variant are being found in Bangladesh, the state minister said, calling it a "unique scientific finding"; in many countries one or two variants usually predominate.
To reduce cases and deaths, he said, prevention comes first. Destroying Aedes larvae needs wide public participation, since no government or single institution can keep the whole country clean. Clean-up drives are under way in neighbourhoods, schools and government offices, and local government bodies are working to destroy larvae and kill mosquitoes.
He said the government began planning and acting about three months before the situation developed this year, with data support from NIPSOM and IEDCR. With the Society of Medicine, a clinical management guideline for dengue is being circulated, and about 2,000 doctors across the country have received updated training in the past two months.
The government's work covers prevention, rapid diagnosis, quick referral and better hospital care, he said. DAB president Prof Dr Harun Al Rashid chaired the seminar, at which Prof Dr Farhad Hamid Donar was chief guest.
Photo: Econt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: samakal
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