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Photo above of the vaccine assembly line of the vaccine-maker Sanofi-Pasteur in France. Trials in Thailand with a candidate vaccine for dengue, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease, have shown it to protect against three of the four virus strains.

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Progress reported with candidate dengue vaccine

25 JULY 2012 - AFP

AFP - Trials in Thailand with a candidate vaccine for dengue, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease, have shown it to protect against three of the four virus strains, its French maker said Wednesday.

The first trials in humans proved the vaccine was safe and represented a key milestone in the quest for a dengue jab, vaccine-maker Sanofi Pasteur executive vice president Michel De Wilde said in a statement.

This is also an important development for global public health, since there is currently no specific treatment or prevention for dengue.

The World Health Organisation says the disease infects between 50 million and 100 million people every year and kills more than 20,000 -- mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Latin America, but expanding rapidly... to parts of Europe.

Researchers estimate that some three billion people live in regions susceptible to dengue contagion and another 20 million tourists pass through them.

The disease caused by one of four virus serotypes results in fever, aches, rashes, vomiting and in rare cases death. Children are especially vulnerable.

Sanofi Pasteur said its candidate vaccine was effective against three of the four virus serotypes and analyses were under way "to understand the lack of protection for the fourth."

The company conducted trials on 4,000 children aged four to 11 in Thailand's Muang district, the results of which have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Larger Phase III trials with 31,000 adults and children are taking place in 10 countries in Asia and Latin America.

(Source: AFP, Progress reported with candidate dengue vaccine, 25 JULY 2012 - AFP, link) 


Dengue Vaccination Vocabulary

dengue - dengue fever ไข้เลือดออก (See Wikipedia)

dengue fever - dengue fever ไข้เลือดออก; an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles. In a small proportion of cases the disease develops into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs. Dengue is transmitted by several species of mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally A. aegypti...The incidence of dengue fever has increased dramatically since the 1960s, with around 50–100 million people infected yearly. ...Dengue ...is endemic in more than 110 countries" (See Wikipedia and US National Library of Medicine)

haemorrhagic dengue fever - a more severe version of dengue fever (See US National Library of Medicine, see the excellent overview by a Thai doctor in Manson's Tropical Diseases, 22nd Edition)

vaccine - a substance which contains a form that is not harmful of a virus or bacterium (= extremely small organism) and which is given to a person or animal to prevent them from getting the disease which the virus or bacterium causes วัคซีน (See Wikipedia and free Coursera Course)

vaccinate (verb) - to give a person a vaccine to protect them against a disease
vaccination (noun) - the act of giving a person a vaccine to protect them against a disease

dengue vaccine
vaccine-maker Sanofi Pasteur

Sanofi Pasteur - the largest company in the world devoted entirely to developing and selling new vaccines (See Wikipedia)

candidate - a person or thing that may become something in the future (example: the political candidate may be elected to government office, the candidate vaccine may actually be used)
candidate dengue vaccine

progress - improving and developing over time; gradual improvement towards a goal ความก้าวหน้า

progress reported with candidate dengue vaccine

borne - carried by ถือ หรือนำไป (อัญเชิญ ประดิษฐาน)

mosquito-borne - carried by mosquitoes
mosquito-borne disease - disease carried and passed to people by mosquitoes

fatal - can kill people, can someone to die ถึงตาย

potentially - possibly; possible in the future ที่อาจเกิดขึ้นได้ เป็นไปได้

potentially fatal - could cause people to die
potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease

virus - a very small disease causing thing or agent (smaller than a baceteria, not actually considered a living thing) (See Wikipedia)

strain - a kind or variety of living thing or disease-causing agent (bacteria, virus, plant, etc) 
virus strains - different kinds of a virus

Trials in Thailand with a candidate vaccine for dengue, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease, have shown it to protect against three of the four virus strains, its French maker said Wednesday.

milestone - an important event in the history or development of something ความสำเร็จอันยิ่งใหญ่ เหตุการณ์สำคัญ

key - important คนสำคัญ
key milestone

jab - to pierce with a needle, give an injection (putting a liquid, especially a drug, into a person's body using a needle and a syringe) การฉีดยา
dengue jab - injection of dengue vaccine into the body

quest - search, looking for something
the quest for a dengue jab

The first trials in humans proved the vaccine was safe and represented a key milestone in the quest for a dengue jab, vaccine-maker Sanofi Pasteur executive vice president Michel De Wilde said in a statement.

public health - the general health of a large group of people in a community or whole country and treatment of their health problems (See Wikipedia)

a development - something that happens that effects a certain situation or issue (the next event in a "developing story")
an important development for public health

global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
global public health

treatment - the process of providing medical care การรักษา
prevention - the act of preventing something, or things that people do in order to prevent something

there is currently no specific treatment or prevention for dengue

This is also an important development for global public health, since there is currently no specific treatment or prevention for dengue.

tropical - relating to the hottest area of the Earth, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn ในเขตร้อน
tropical region

tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Latin America

expanding - growing bigger, getting bigger and bigger over time
expanding rapidly

The World Health Organisation says the disease infects between 50 million and 100 million people every year and kills more than 20,000 -- mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Latin America, but expanding rapidly including to parts of Europe.

estimate - guessing an amount using available information (not exact) คาดคะเน โดยประมาณ

susceptible to - can be affected by; can happen to
susceptible to dengue - can get dengue (more easily than others)

contagion - a disease or something bad that is spreading (negatively affecting many people)
dengue contagion

regions susceptible to dengue contagion

Researchers estimate that some three billion people live in regions susceptible to dengue contagion and another 20 million tourists pass through them.

serotype - "variations within a species of bacteria or viruses or among immune cells of different individuals. These microorganisms, viruses, or cells are classified together based on their cell surface antigens, allowing the epidemiologic classification of organisms to the sub-species level" (See Wikipedia)
virus serotypes

results - what is produced in the end by an activity or task
fever - an abnormally high body temperature ไข้

virus serotypes results in fever

rash - a red area on the skin (caused by a disease or allergic reaction) ผื่น ผื่นคัน (See Wikipedia)
vomit - throw up, pass food in stomach out through mouth

rare - uncommon, unusual ซึ่งหายาก หาได้ยาก เกิดขึ้นได้ยาก
in rare cases

vulnerable - easily damaged or harmed ซึ่งถูกทำลายได้ง่าย ที่เปราะบาง ที่ล่อแหลมต่อการเกิดภัยภิบัติ
children are especially vulnerable

The disease caused by one of four virus serotypes results in fever, aches, rashes, vomiting and in rare cases death. Children are especially vulnerable.

effective - works well, gets the job done; producing the result that was intended ได้ผลดี
vaccine was effective against three of the four virus serotypes

lack - does not have ขาดแคลน

Sanofi Pasteur said its candidate vaccine was effective against three of the four virus serotypes and analyses were under way "to understand the lack of protection for the fourth.

trials - clinical trials, testing of a drug or other medical treatment on a small set of patients before being available to all (See Wikipedia)

medical journal - a publication that publishes articles about medical research  (See list of medical journals)

peer - one of the people doing similar work as you are doing (with similar knowledge so can criticize and review your work)
review - to look at closely and evaluate for acceptability

peer-reviewed - a process of self-regulation in a profession; when an article and research is "reviewed" by "peers", checked for quality and errors (See Wikipedia)

peer-reviewed medical journal
published in a peer-reviewed medical journal

The company conducted trials on 4,000 children aged four to 11 in Thailand's Muang district, the results of which have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Larger Phase III trials with 31,000 adults and children are taking place in 10 countries in Asia and Latin America.

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