Stay Awesome
DENGUE
Find most of the information you need in these resources
Always refer to your local signed PGD's in practice, and remember the Green Book takes priority over the SPmC - and sometimes WHO takes priority over the Green Book! They don't always say the same!
Things to know in practice currently:
Oct 15th: ‘I ached so much’: Man describes bout with dengue fever contracted during Florida’s outbreak.
Dengue outbreak continues in Florida: Florida is experiencing an unusually large outbreak of locally acquired dengue, centred particularly around Tampa and Hillsborough County. More than 250 locally acquired cases had been reported by late September, alongside a dengue-associated death, with transmission continuing into October. It is a useful reminder that dengue risk is not restricted to destinations traditionally thought of as tropical — mosquito bite avoidance remains an important part of travel health advice.
Assessment of the healthcare burden of dengue disease in England: a retrospective analysis (2010–2023). This retrospective study of NHS data from 2010–2023 has found an increasing burden of imported dengue in England. Among 596 people hospitalised with dengue, admission rates rose over the study period, peaking in 2019 and increasing again from 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Around one-third of hospitalised cases were in adults aged 18–29 years, and around 20% of patients had a subsequent hospital admission. The study also identified 2,286 suspected dengue cases recorded in primary care, of which 1,220 were confirmed. A supplementary analysis showed hospitalised dengue incidence had risen back to around 5 per million person-years by 2024, after dropping sharply during the pandemic. The paper also notes that UK reported dengue cases increased from 631 in 2023 to 904 in 2024, all associated with travel abroad. The authors highlight the need for targeted public health measures for travellers, particularly younger adults, as well as improved recording of suspected dengue, symptoms and travel history in general practice.
21st Sept 2026: Green Book Chapter updated: Updates in this revised chapter include:
Information on the number of doses distributed globally and in the EU.
Perhaps slightly more relaxed guidance on when vaccination may be considered for individuals without a previous history of dengue infection, including a recommendation that, in these circumstances, there is discussion with a travel health clinician experienced in assessing the balance of potential risks and benefits of Qdenga.
Updated content on epidemiology.
The absence of interchangeability data with the dengue vaccines available in some countries, Dengvaxia and Butantan-DV, and a recommendation that travellers should not complete their Qdenga vaccine course with these vaccines overseas.
15th June 2026: WHO issues first ever guidance to advance child-focused dengue treatments and Dengue: Brazil suspends rollout of new vaccine after two deaths
8th June 2026: Oh no!! Butantan dengue vaccine temporarily suspended in Brazil after two deaths and 42 severe adverse events among 500 000 recipients
12th March 2026: Qdenga contender... Butantan dengue vaccine estimated to be 81% effective against severe disease for at least 5 years
4th Dec 2025: Further to last month's news, it looks like the single dose Dengue vaccine 'Butantan-DV' is all set to be rolled out in Brazil from early 2026. Brazil experienced its largest ever dengue epidemic last year, with 6.4 million cases and 5,972 deaths. This could be a game changer!
27th Nov 2025: Intriguing.... Brazil Becomes The First Country To Authorise A Single-Dose Dengue Vaccine: All You Need To Know. This is another live vaccine called Butantan-DV. Here's another article about it: Brazil approves world's first single-dose dengue vaccine
3rd Nov 2025: Qdenga Delivers 7 Years of Sustained Protection Against Infection and Hospitalisation.
29th May 2025: SPC for Qdenga updated
29th April 2025: Noticed today that Dengue appears in the vaccines list now on Travel Health Pro country recommendations, rather than the 'other risks' tab. Nice change.
OCTOBER 2024: LOOK WHAT'S HERE!! The new Dengue chapter has arrived in the Green Book. CHECK IT OUT!
August 2024: The Sanofi vaccine, Dengvaxia, is being discontinued in the third quarter of 2026
Bit of history for context:
JAN 2023 An exciting new vaccine arrived! QDENGA! Travel clinics started stocking up. The SPC wasn't too specific about vaccinating seronegative travelers, so it started to get used privately. The SPC says: 'A protective immune response with Qdenga may not be elicited in all vaccinees against all serotypes of dengue virus and may decline over time. It is currently unknown whether a lack of protection could result in an increased severity of dengue'. Everyone was eagerly awaiting JCVI advice on this!
MARCH 2024 THEN THE ADVICE CAME! JCVI stated that Qdenga vaccination 'could not be advised for seronegative individuals in the UK' and that they 'couldn’t recommend vaccination for seronegative individuals'. This seems to be mainly because of an absence of evidence for dengue types 3 and 4 (by my understanding). Clinics had to re-evaluate their use of the vaccine and many ceased administering it (to seronegative travelers anyway) while more guidance was awaited. But it is not a straightforward process to determine seropositivity. Guidance is hence being developed with the UKHSA Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory on best practices for investigating possible previous dengue infection. Visit this page on NaTHNaC for more information.
Useful links
Resources
Dengue Information Leaflet for Travellers: A patient-facing leaflet providing essential dengue information, for use in consultations or as a takeaway resource in travel health clinics.
Dengue Awareness Pull-up Banner: A display for pharmacies and travel health clinics to raise awareness about dengue risks and prevention among travellers.
Dengue Prevalence Map: An A3 map for travel health clinics, designed to visually highlight dengue-endemic regions and support HCPs in advising travellers.
Dengue Prevalence Booklet: A compact, consultation-friendly resource for HCPs, detailing global dengue prevalence
Dengue Awareness Animation: A short animation or travel health clinic waiting rooms, educating travellers on dengue risks and prevention.
Dengue Awareness Badge: A badge for clinicians to prompt conversations with travellers about dengue prevention and vaccination.
Vaccination Logbook & Vaccine Reminder Card.
2nd Dose SMS Reminder Service: A digital reminder service that sends alerts via SMS or WhatsApp, helping travellers ensure completion of the Qdenga™ two-dose schedule.
Useful clinic resources (ALL FREE!!)
Go deeper here
DID YOU KNOW? Due to the close similarities with DENV and Zika virus (ZIKV), it has recently been discovered that antibody-dependent disease enhancement can also happen in DENV infected patients with previous ZIKV infection. Read all about it here.
Research in Singapore has found dengue infection can leave a lasting genetic imprint on immunity.
Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes can lower dengue risk by 70%, citywide experiment finds
Dengue virus infection in travellers after dengue vaccination, Germany 2023–24
Bits and bobs to casually drop into conversation
Did you know....
Half the world is at risk of Dengue now (the WHO estimates 4 billion people). In 2019, 5.2M cases of dengue infections were reported worldwide. This increased from over 500 thousand cases in 2000.
A recent estimate of 390 million dengue infections occurring globally per year, with 96 million presenting with symptoms puts a spotlight on the potential impact of dengue on populations in endemic regions.
in 2010, France and Croatia saw their first cases of dengue spreading locally. In 2022, 66 cases of dengue were reported in France and 1 in Spain. In 2023 there were 9 outbreaks of Dengue in France. Pretty close to home!! Two words: Climate Change.
