Health Ministry to study dengue vaccine first before using

The Health Ministry is studying the advantages and efficacy of the world's first dengue vaccine which will be in the market by the middle of next year before deciding whether to use it to treat the disease.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the ministry was analysing all the data available on the vaccine and the study was expected to be completed in a few more months.

"Then we will decide as soon as possible whether to use the vaccine in this country or not.

"We are following the developments closely and we understand that before a vaccine is released by the manufacturing company, several international studies and tests must first be done," he told Bernama Tuesday.

He was commenting on the dengue vaccine produced by multinational company Sanofi Pasteur and which will be in the market by the second half of 2015.

Dr Subramaniam said the ministry was aware of the positives of the vaccine, but a thorough study on it must be done from various aspects such as target group of users and recipients, age group and so on.

The French company in a statement stated that the second clinical study at the final stage showed the vaccine could give 95.5 percent protection against acute dengue fever, as well as reduce the risk of being warded by 80.3 percent.

Sanofi Pasteur has been carrying out the vaccine study involving 31,000 participants in dengue endemic countries in Latin America and Asia, including Malaysia.