DENGUE VACCINES: PRINCIPLE, EFFICACY AND SAFETY

Abstract

Introduction: Dengue is an endemic arboviral disease in tropical regions, where infection with the DENV virus can trigger clinical manifestations, a condition that significantly impairs the quality of life of patients, leading to hospitalization and death. Objective: This study aimed to conduct an integrative review of the literature on the principle, efficacy, and safety of vaccines. Methodology: The research was conducted in the databases PubMed, CAPES Journals, Google Scholar, and the Virtual Health Library (VHS), using the descriptors "Dengvaxia Vaccine", "Dengue Vaccines", "Tetravalent Dengue Vaccine" AND/OR "Dengue Vaccines" according to DeCS. Forty-eight records were identified; of these, 17 studies met the eligibility criteria and comprised the final sample for this review. Results and discussion: Regarding their underlying technology, the three dengue vaccines evaluated (Qdenga®, Butantan-DV, and Dengvaxia®) are live-attenuated, tetravalent vaccines. All vaccines demonstrated significant efficacy in preventing the disease; notably, TAK-003 (Qdenga®) showed overall efficacy ranging from 67% to 95% and provided high levels of protection against hospitalization. Qdenga® and Butantan-DV demonstrated reasonable protection for both seropositive and seronegative individuals, whereas Dengvaxia®—despite showing good efficacy against all four dengue serotypes—was not found to be safe for seronegative individuals. Adverse events associated with the dengue vaccines were predominantly mild and transient—most notably headache, fever, myalgia, and mild local or systemic reactions—with rare reports of serious events such as immune thrombocytopenia (associated with Qdenga®), indicating a generally favorable safety profile for all three vaccines studied. Conclusion: Dengue vaccines represent a significant advancement in disease control, yet they require ongoing monitoring of their safety and effectiveness.