Combating Dengue
The study will cover 33 wards in Kadayanallur municipality and will be conducted jointly by the National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE), Chennai, and the public health department. The study follows an announcement made in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Sept 8. The vaccine was approved in India in July for people aged four to 60, making it the first dengue vaccine approved in the country.
The minister said the study would help establish how vaccination could be introduced in the Indian context, where all four dengue virus serotypes circulate.
If the findings establish that the repellents are effective, the govt will consider incorporating them into the state’s dengue prevention programme, Arunraj said. We will also study whether people return for the second dose and how safe and effective it is among the local population,” said an health department official. Arunraj said participation in the vaccine study would be voluntary, with vaccination administered only after written consent.
Researchers will check whether the repellents help reduce dengue cases when used alongside existing mosquito-control measures. They will also assess possible side effects, whether people are willing to use the products and whether they can be used effectively in practice. The state is also conducting a pilot study on how Qdenga, a dengue vaccine developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda and approved by the Indian govt, can be delivered through primary health centres. “The vaccine is administered in two doses, three months apart. Recipients would be monitored, and the findings would be submitted to scientific and technical bodies, including the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI). Any decision on a statewide rollout would be based on their scientific recommendations. The minister added that vaccination and repellents would supplement, rather than replace, existing dengue prevention measures. These include eliminating stagnant water, destroying mosquito larvae, fogging where necessary, monitoring fever cases and ensuring timely treatment.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu is conducting a pilot study in Tenkasi to find whether mosquito-repellent creams can reduce dengue infections, Health Minister K G Arunraj said on Saturday at Govt General Hospital in Kadayanallur.