Below are brief introductions to dengue disease and the dengue vaccine with links to more information. Scroll down for a list of QUICK FACTS that provide a summary overview of key facts for the disease and the vaccine.
Dengue: The Disease
Dengue illness is caused by an infection with the dengue virus, a flavivirus, that is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti and the Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, two types of mosquitoes found in subtropic and tropic regions of the world.
There are four dengue serotypes (Type 1, 2, 3, and 4), and infection with one of the dengue viruses will provide a person with long-term immunity from that specific virus. It is possible to become infected with dengue more than once since there are four distinct types of dengue viruses. Learn more about dengue…
Dengue: The Vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved DENGVAXIA, a live dengue tetravalent vaccine targeting dengue serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4 for use in children and adolescents aged six through 16 years with a laboratory confirmed history of previous dengue infection and living in dengue endemic area. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends DENGVAXIA vaccine for use in children aged nine through 16 years with a laboratory confirmed history of past dengue infection and who live in dengue endemic U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States.
DENGVAXIA is not approved for individuals who have no prior history of dengue infection or where the history of previous infection is not known. Individuals with no prior history of dengue are at an increased risk of developing severe dengue infection should they receive this vaccine and become infected with the dengue virus. Learn more about dengue vaccine…
Dengue & Dengue Vaccine Quick Facts
Dengue
- Dengue is an illness caused by the dengue virus, a virus that is transmitted by infected mosquitoes found in tropic and subtropic regions, including the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau), the Caribbean, South and Central America, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Indonesia, and Northeastern Australia.
- Dengue infection can range from asymptomatic infection, to mild or severe illness. The illness generally presents as a high fever 4-7 days after infection. A red, flat rash covering the entire body often occurs 2-5 days after the fever begins. A second “measles-like” rash may also appear on the skin. Additional symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headache mainly behind the eyes, cough, swollen lymph nodes, nasal congestion, and sore throat. Rarely, severe dengue illness can occur, and can lead to hospitalization and even death. Continue reading quick facts…
Dengue Vaccine
- The most commonly reported adverse reactions following vaccination with DENGVAXIA included headache, injection site pain, generalized discomfort (malaise), lack of energy, and muscle pain. Additional reported adverse reactions included abdominal pain, vomiting, shortness of breath, generalized redness of the skin (erythema), hives, asthma crisis, and vertigo. Serious adverse events reported after vaccination include convulsion, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, hives, acute asthma, and death.
- Using the MedAlerts search engine, as of December 27, 2024, there have been 551 reports of dengue vaccine reactions, including 187 hospitalizations, and 269 deaths. Almost 50 percent of adverse events reported following dengue vaccine resulted in death. Continue reading quick facts…
IMPORTANT NOTE: NVIC encourages you to become fully informed about Dengue and the Dengue vaccine by reading all sections in the Table of Contents, which contains many links and resources such as the manufacturer product information inserts, and to speak with one or more trusted health care professionals before making a vaccination decision for yourself or your child. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
