No more “dengue season”: for Indians, breakbone fever becomes year-round scourge
India has approved its first dengue vaccine, Qdenga, as health officials report that the disease has shifted from a seasonal monsoon issue to a year-round threat. The vaccine is intended to complement existing vector control efforts to manage the rising incidence of the virus.
Why it matters
The shift in dengue patterns and the introduction of a vaccine represent a significant public health development in managing tropical diseases in densely populated regions.
Delhi residents now contend with dengue well before the monsoon makes landfall, as India announces its first-ever approval of a dengue vaccine.
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Add as preferred Google source Ms Shilpi inspects a water pot kept outside a home for birds, checking for mosquito larvae as part of routine dengue surveillance in South Delhi. Photo by Safina Nabi
Every weekday morning for 14 years, 42-year-old Sonu Kumar’s commute has been the same: a 40-minute metro trip to South Delhi, where he works in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s vector control team, inspecting neighbourhoods, raising awareness, eliminating mosquito breeding sites, and coordinating sanitation drives to keep dengue at bay.
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