Your days of fearing dengue may soon be over, as the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has just approved the world's first dengue vaccine for use in Singapore. After seven months of reviewing Dengvaxia and weighing its potential benefits and risks, HSA said the vaccine will become commercially available in a few months' time.
The vaccine, developed by Sanofi Pasteur, comes in the form of three doses that have to be injected over a period of 12 months. Its effects will last for up to four years after the third injection, according to Channel NewsAsia. In general, studies show that Dengvaxia has been effective at reducing dengue by 60 percent, and severe dengue by 84 percent.