India's First Dengue Vaccine (Health, Diseases and Biotechnology)
India's First Dengue Vaccine (Health, Diseases and Biotechnology)
Why In News:
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted market authorisation to Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India's QDENGA (TAK-003), making it the country's first-ever approved dengue vaccine.
The approval covers individuals aged 4 to 60 years and can be administered irrespective of prior dengue infection, a key advantage over earlier dengue vaccines that required pre-vaccination screening.
Source: The Indian Express, Page 12, and The Hindu, Page 14, 21 July 2026, 'India all set to get its first dengue vaccine' / 'India approves first dengue vaccine for persons aged 4-60'
About the Vaccine
QDENGA is a live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine, developed using recombinant DNA technology.
A live-attenuated vaccine uses a weakened form of the live pathogen to trigger immunity.
It is designed to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4), administered as two subcutaneous doses three months apart.
Takeda has partnered with India's Biological E to expand domestic manufacturing capacity for the vaccine.
Dengue in India: The Disease Burden
Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus (genus Flavivirus).
It is primarily transmitted by the bite of infected female Aedes mosquitoes, especially Aedes aegypti.
The same mosquito species also spreads chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika virus infections.
Reported dengue cases in India have risen nearly 11-fold over the past two decades, with all four serotypes co-circulating in several states, raising the risk of severe secondary infections.
Clinical classification progresses from Dengue Fever (DF) to the more severe Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS).
Key Facts for Prelims
The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, coordinates India's dengue surveillance and vector control efforts.
National Dengue Day is observed on 16 May every year.
Diagnostic confirmation typically relies on the NS1 antigen test in the early febrile phase, and IgM/IgG ELISA tests later in the illness.