New Vaccine Offers Some Protection Against Dengue

New Vaccine Offers Some Protection Against Dengue WebMD Health News by Brenda Goodman, MA Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD mosquito Sept. 10, 2012 -- A new study shows that an experimental vaccine appears to offer good protection against three of the four viruses that cause dengue fever. If further studies confirm the findings, researchers say the new vaccine would be the first to fight the painful and sometimes deadly disease, which strikes more than 100 million people around the world each year. Dengue viruses are carried by mosquitoes. They cause a high fever, severe headache, and muscle and joint pain. They also make people bleed more easily than normal. Infected people may bleed from the nose or gums, or they may bruise easily. Young children tend to get more severe cases than adults. Dengue mostly strikes people in tropical areas. So it’s largely been seen as a disease that has plagued developing countries. But in 2009, the illness popped up again in the U.S., infecting 90 people in southern Florida. It was the first time dengue fever had been seen in that state since 1934.