PETALING JAYA: The first dengue vaccine has been officially launched in Malaysia today, enabling the nation to reinforce its defenses against the disease.
The Star reported that Takeda Malaysia’s dengue tetravalent vaccine (live attenuated) Qdenga is designed to defend against the four dengue virus serotypes and was approved by the Drug Control Authority (DCA).
The vaccine will be administered to recipients aged four years old and above in two doses, at an interval of three months
The vaccine will be available at private hospitals and general practitioner clinics.
ALSO READ: WMO succeed in reducing dengue cases by 45 to 100 per cent - Lukanisman
The pricing will be determined by the healthcare facilities, according to Takeda Malaysia & Singapore country general manager Dr Lynette Moey.
Moey also confirmed that the company is open to working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on distributing the vaccine to the public healthcare sector.
Clinical trials have proven that the vaccine prevented 80.2% of symptomatic dengue 12 months after the vaccination.
She also noted that the vaccine, approved in over 30 countries, was effective at 84.1% against hospitalisation and 61.2% against symptomatic cases over the duration of four and a half years.
It was reported that 41,565 cases and 28 deaths were recorded in the first quarter of this year in Malaysia.
ALSO READ: Dengue cases drop in ME21, four deaths reported - Health DG
