How Waning JE Immunity Can Worsen Dengue Severity
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: General Science (Health - Communicable diseases, Viruses, Vaccines, Immunology - Antibodies); Science & Technology (Biotechnology, Biomarkers).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (Health): Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.
General Studies Paper 3 (S&T): Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Awareness in the fields of Bio-technology. The interplay of diseases and vaccination strategies is a key topic.
Key Highlights from the News
A new study finds that waning immunity from the Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) vaccine can lead to more severe dengue.
JEV and Dengue virus are related viruses belonging to the same genus (Orthoflavivirus).
This risk is highest when JEV antibodies are at mid-range antibody titres, meaning they are not strong enough to fully protect, but strong enough to worsen the disease.
This finding highlights the importance of timely JE vaccine boosters. This could provide protection against JE, and to some extent, against severe dengue.
The study also confirms that Chymase is a biomarker that helps predict severe dengue.
This study is highly relevant for countries like India, where dengue is spreading to new areas due to climate change.
COMMENTS