Nicaragua Needs Enhanced Dengue Vaccine

Throughout the record-setting dengue virus outbreak in the Region of the Americas, the Republic of Nicaragua reported 92,022 cases in 2024.

According to a study published on January 10, 2025, all four virus serotypes impacted Nicaragua's dengue outbreak. Based on 19 years of data from the Pediatric Dengue Cohort and Pediatric Dengue Hospital-based Studies in Managua, the relationship between serotype and immune status and dengue severity became very clear.

Of the 2,644 cases with serotype results by RT-PCR, 559 corresponded to DENV1, 1,002 to DENV2, 760 to DENV3, and 323 to DENV4.

Severe disease was more prevalent among secondary DENV2 and DENV4 cases, while similar disease severity was observed in both primary and secondary DENV1 and DENV3 cases.

These researchers wrote, 'These findings demonstrate differences in dengue severity by serotype and immune status and emphasize the critical need for a dengue vaccine with balanced effectiveness against all four serotypes, as existing vaccines show variable efficacy by serotype and serostatus.'

Nicaragua's southern neighbor, the Republic of Colombia, reported similar dengue virus types in 2024.

In the United States, dengue virus serotype 3 was most often identified among travel-associated and locally acquired dengue cases in Florida in 2022-2023.

As of January 11, 2025, the leading dengue vaccine available in the Americas does not meet this requirement. However, vaccine candidates currently conducting research may need this clinical need.

There are no dengue vaccines currently offered in the United States.

Overall, more than 12 million dengue cases were reported in the Americas last year, about 300% more than in 2023.

In the U.S., 53 jurisdictions reported 9,255 dengue cases as of December 31, 2024. The unfortunate leaders in local dengue transmission were  Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico.