With a steady increase in cases of dengue across the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has increased its efforts to develop a vaccine to fight the mosquito-borne infection. According to the governmental data, the cases were restricted to only eight states and Union Territories in 2001.

However, at present, dengue cases are prevalent in all states and union territories. In 2021, the number of cases reported in rural India will increase to 45% from 32% in 2015.

The ICMR, the apex agency for formulation, coordination, and promotion of biomedical research, has tied up with two biotech giants, namely Panacea and Serum Institute of India (SII), to conduct phase III trials of their dengue vaccines.

The DNA-edited dengue virus developed by the US National Institute of Health was used as the base for both vaccines. The vaccine produced in collaboration with SII is yet to undergo phase I or II trials to determine its safety.

Lastly, this phase of the trial will be followed by a large-scale study to determine the safety of the vaccine in children aged 2 to 18 years with the help of the ICMR.

(Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/dengue-on-steady-rise-icmr-set-to-conduct-vaccine-trial-8615357/ )