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Brazil is facing a new outbreak of dengue fever, part of a major global increase of the disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already registered 5 million cases in 129 countries.
Dengue, which is caused by a virus transmitted by the bite of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, is an acute illness characterised mainly by high fever, body aches and redness of the skin. It can also result in death though severe dengue happens more frequently in second and third infections.
An immuniser against dengue has been developed by the Japanese laboratory Takeda Pharma, called Qdenga in Brazil. But it requires two doses three months apart. A new vaccine is being developed by the Butantan Institute in São Paulo. As Professor Esper Kallás explains, this provides protection with just one dose. This could be a game changer for guaranteeing complete protection more quickly, potentially putting a stop to outbreaks, and protecting those who need it most.
Haiti’s history is replete with political leaders with very dubious pasts, and the country’s citizens are used to their violent machinations, writes Amalendu Misra. In the recent chaos that’s taken hold, homicidal gang boss and former policeman called Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier has emerged from the armed insurrection as the most formidable leader in Haiti. As Misra explains, some suspect he may have political aspirations of his own.
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