Antidote For Dengue By 2012?

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- The first antidote for dengue, the killer disease which until now has no known cure, will only probably be produced by 2012, though many pharmaceutical companies are carrying out intense research on it.
University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Medical Microbiology head of department (HOD), Prof Dr Sazaly Abu Bakar said so far only one company was showing signs that it might be able to produce an anti-dengue vaccine by 2012.
"Many companies are racing to produce a vaccine, but they can't say when it will be available in the market," he told reporters at a seminar on dengue held at UMMC here Sunday.
He said the vaccine, even if it was successfuly produced, would have to be clinically tested before it could be marketed.
"A lot of anti-dengue medicines underwent clinical tests in Western countries where there are less dengue cases. For dengue cure in endemic countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, there should be a detailed studies in these countries to determine the medicines are effective," he said.
Dr Sazaly, who is also Universiti Malaya's Microbiology Department head, said now there were seven or eight antibiotics which could help reduce infection but more detailed studies were still needed to test their effectiveness.
He said medication used in Thailand might not work for patients in Malaysia because of mutation in virus strains.
Meanwhile, when delivering his lecture at the seminar, Dr Sazaly said a study had found that dengue epidemics in Malaysia were cyclical and the next one is expected to recur within three years.
"Dengue is now a global threat, it has entered urban areas from the rurals previously, and it is estimated that 50 million to 100 million people worldwide contract it every year," he added.