There has been an explosive increase in dengue cases in recent years.  The disease has a substantial impact on individuals and society, including lost wages, decreased productivity and costs associated with seeking and obtaining care, yet no drugs are available to prevent or treat dengue infection.

As the range and severity of dengue grows, so too does the need for more effective methods of prevention, and for a better understanding of the scope and cost of the problem.   Substantial progress towards finding a vaccine has been made in the last decade, and several vaccines are in various stages of advanced development.  Historically, vaccines have taken twenty years or more to reach markets in the developing world; with a dengue vaccine the goal is to cut this time to zero and begin getting vaccines to those in need as soon as they are available.

DVI is working on a number of fronts, outlined under What We Do, to lay the groundwork so that, once licensed, a dengue vaccine can be swiftly adopted.  This work includes gathering evidence on the impact of dengue through disease burden and cost of illness studies as well as modeling the impact of immunization and engaging policy and decision makers at all levels through evaluations of Points for Consideration, financing strategies, and strategic demand forecasts.