Dengue v2V Supports ASEAN Dengue Day and Calls for a World Dengue Day
By Dengue V2v, PRNEMonday, June 13, 2011
JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 15, 2011 -
- Leading Scientific Initiative Advocates Greater
Global Recognition of the Impact of
Dengue
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launched the
first ASEAN Dengue Day today in Indonesia, with related events
occurring throughout the ASEAN member states. The date was chosen
to coincide with the month in which dengue infections in the region
typically peak. ASEAN Dengue Day is a new enterprise in the fight
against dengue, aiming to:
Increase public awareness of dengue to
help to reduce the risk of dengue transmission
Acknowledge that the ASEAN member
states shoulder a large part of the global burden of dengue
Enhance regional collaboration on
dengue and the shared responsibility of dengue control
Continue the shift from
response-driven activities to forward planning and long-term
prevention strategies
Focus attention on the need for new
strategies to combat dengue
Call for a World Dengue Day
“The ASEAN Dengue Day will bring much needed attention to the
major public health problem of dengue and it is strongly supported
by the community of dengue experts“, said
Professor Sai Kit Lam from the University of Malaya in Kuala
Lumpur, and Chairman of the Dengue v2V (’vaccine-to-vaccination’)
initiative. “But dengue is increasingly a global problem and we
need to work towards global solutions. For this reason Dengue v2V
calls for the expansion of the ASEAN Dengue Day to a World Dengue
Day to acknowledge the impact of dengue worldwide and encourage a
much needed international response“.
Dengue is spreading around the world. Increasing numbers of
travellers are returning from endemic regions with dengue
infections and, for the first time in many decades, cases of dengue
have been acquired within the USA
30-fold increase in the number of dengue cases over the past 50
years[3] and the
populations of over 100 countries are at risk of dengue
infection.[4]
Given the scale of the problem, it will require a united, global
response to bring the problem of dengue under control.
About the Dengue v2V initiative
Dengue v2V is a scientific forum comprising international
experts in dengue and public health from across Southeast Asia,
Europe and the Americas. The initiative is committed to ensuring
that future dengue vaccines, once licensed, are readily introduced
into the vaccination programmes of countries where dengue is a
public health priority. The name, Dengue v2V, reflects its
fundamental objective of supporting the transition from vaccine to
vaccination. The introduction of a vaccine will be key to
controlling dengue in the ASEAN region, where vaccination has been
shown to be an affordable and cost-effective strategy.
the most advanced vaccine candidate is expected to be on the market
by 2015.[6]
Dengue v2V was established in June 2009 and is supported by an
unrestricted educational grant from sanofi pasteur.
About dengue fever
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the dengue
virus, of which there are four serotypes. The disease is found
throughout equatorial regions and is a potential threat to almost
half of the world’s population. Of the estimated 220 million people
infected with dengue annually, two million, mostly children,
develop dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), a severe form of the
disease, and 21,000 will die.
leading cause of hospitalisation, placing tremendous pressure on
strained medical resources and having a heavy economic and societal
impact. Many factors have contributed to a recent dramatic rise in
dengue fever cases including urbanisation and increased travel.
References
1 CDC. Locally acquired dengue - Key West,
Florida, 2009-2010. MMWR 2010;59:577-81
2 Gould E, Gallian P, De Lamballerie X, Charrel R.
First cases of autochthonous dengue fever and chikungunya fever in
France: from bad dream to reality! Clin Microbiol Infect
2010;16:1702-4
3 WHO. Dengue: guidelines for diagnosis, treatment,
prevention and control. 2009; Accessible at
apps.who.int/tdr/svc/publications/training-guideline-publications/dengue-diagnosis-treatment:
4 PDVI. Newsletter No. 7, April 2010. Accessible at
5 Shepard DS, Suaya JA. Economic evaluation of
dengue prevention. In: Ungar W. Economic evaluation of dengue
prevention. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2009:225-37
6 Guy B, Saville M, Lang J. Development of Sanofi
Pasteur tetravalent dengue vaccine. Hum Vaccin 2010;6:[Epub
ahead of print]
7 Lam SK. Dengue v2V - new global initiative
supporting transition from vaccine to vaccination. Vaccine
2010;28:2060-1
Contact: Edwina Maynard, Interlace Global, Tel: +44(0)20-7593-0104, Email: edwinamaynard at interlaceglobal.com
Tags: Dengue V2v, Indonesia, Jakarta, June 15
