The vaccine candidate against dengue that Cuba develops has a secure technological platform, reported this Tuesday the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB).
The scientific institution assured on its Twitter account that the possible drug “is based on recombinant proteins: a very safe technological platform,” according to a dispatch from the Prensa Latina (PL) agency.
The dengue vaccine candidate that we are developing in the @CIGBCuba it is based on recombinant proteins: a very secure technological platform. We have a tetravalent candidate, based on proteins from the 4 dengue viruses, which we are currently evaluating. pic.twitter.com/c3wG7OSZ1Q
— CIGBCuba (@CIGBCuba) March 21, 2023
The message specifies that the center’s experts have a quadrivalent candidate, based on proteins from the four dengue viruses, which is currently in the “evaluation phase”, although the institution does not advance a possible date for the conclusion of the tests. studies.
If the level of dengue virus infection (viral load) is lowered, severity is avoided; even the symptoms, adds the publication.
The CIGB commented on the social network that this is precisely the objective of the medicine they are developing, so that the disease is subclinical or with mild symptoms, the report adds.
Obtaining the vaccine is a complex process. Dengue has four serotypes and it is necessary to immunize against each of them at the same time for the product to be effective.
Remember PL that in the course of 2023 a new rapid diagnosis system for dengue should be available, in which specialists from the Immunoassay Center work.
In statements to the newspaper Granma quoted by the newspaper, Eduardo Martínez, president of the Biotechnological and Pharmaceutical Industries Business Group, argued that this system would make it possible to determine, upon the appearance of the first symptoms, whether it is dengue or a second infection.
This will serve to apply a differentiated treatment to patients, and avoid the worsening of the disease and death, Martínez added then.
Dengue in Cuba: epidemiological normality aggravated by the crisis
Dengue is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito. Aedes aegypti infected and causes symptoms that can be mild or severe. They range from headaches, muscle and joint pain, and fever to erythema, according to the medical literature.
In the world, 2,500 million people live at risk of getting dengue and, precisely, it is the summer and autumn months in which, due to the rains and the increase in temperatures, the mosquito infestation skyrockets, and This increases the possibility of transmission of the disease.
Cuba, due to its status as a tropical country, is prone to spikes in the incidence of this disease, which in its most serious cases can cause death.
The situation became extremely complex during the most recent transmission peak, also marked by the deep economic crisis in the country, which makes it difficult to acquire supplies and carry out the necessary actions to mitigate the risks and treat the sick.
In July 2022, the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) reported that Cuba had broken the record for the number of reproduction points of the dengue-transmitting mosquito for the second year in 15 years, while in September the holder of that portfolio confirmed the transmission of the virus in the 15 provinces, while warning about the high infestation rates of the transmitting agent.
