Dengue vaccine to be used once approved by WHO after trial: Minister

Health minister Zahid Maleque has said the dengue vaccine by Researchers of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (icddr,b) is at trial stage.

He said the vaccine is effective but it needs further trials. If necessary, approval would be sought from the World Health Organization (WHO) for usage of the vaccine. The vaccine would be used in the country if WHO gives a nod.

The minister said this while speaking with journalists at his house in Manikganj Sadar upazila.

Tests for the dengue vaccine have been carried out successfully in Bangladesh recently. Researchers from icddr,b and the Vermont University's Larner College of Medicine in the US successfully completed these tests. News of this success appeared in the international journal Lancet.

The minister said there is no effective vaccine for dengue anywhere in the world. Two vaccines have already been created but not being used since there are some problems in those. There are four types of dengue virus. The vaccines invented so far cannot prevent all types of dengue.

About the dengue situation in the country, the health minister said the dengue outbreak is more outside the capital and the situation is stable in Dhaka.

Saying that there are no deficiency of saline in the country, the minister disclosed the ministry approved import of 700,000 bags of intravenous (IV) saline. So far 300,000 bags have reached and remaining would reach soon.

The private companies have increased production of saline manyfold, he added.