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Dengue Virus Has Become More Severe Over the Past Few Decades

Public Health, Public Health & Prevention

A recent study by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) found that dengue virus has evolved over the last six decades. Vaccination could be an apt solution to combat this infection. 

The study revealed that Dengue 2 has become more dominant in India, while Dengue 4 is making a remains predominant in South India. The researchers studied the changes in the four serotypes of the dengue virus and observed how they have evolved from their ancestral sequence. 

The study also examined the factors that decide which strain is dominant and revealed that Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) plays a role. The study underscored the urgent need for developing vaccine against the dengue virus; there are currently no approved vaccines in India, and the Indian variants are very different from the original strains, which the existing vaccines target.