Dengue vaccine - current progress and challenges

Abstract

Dengue is a flaviviral disease that is currently a public health problem of global proportions. Vaccines for other flaviviral diseases have been successfully made. But a dengue vaccine has been elusive despite decades of effort. Several factors such as the existence of four antigenically distinct viruses that cause disease, the immune enhancement phenomenon underlying disease pathogenesis and the lack of a good animal model of the disease have collectively contributed to making the task of developing a dengue vaccine a formidable one. Global awareness of dengue in recent years has kindled renewed interest in developing dengue vaccines.