The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) is evaluating a proposal to introduce a dengue vaccine in Sri Lanka, but the vaccine will not provide a solution to the country's current dengue outbreak, NMRA Chairperson Dr Ananda Wijewickrama said.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Dr Wijewickrama yesterday (22) confirmed that a proposal to use a dengue vaccine in Sri Lanka had been submitted and that an expert committee had been appointed to assess it. "There is a proposal, and a committee has been appointed to evaluate it. The committee is currently carrying out that evaluation," he said.

However, Dr Wijewickrama stressed that the public should not view the vaccine as an immediate solution to the current surge in dengue cases. "The main thing is that this vaccine will not provide a solution to the current dengue outbreak," he said. He also expressed concern that public attention is being diverted away from the immediate measures needed to control dengue, noting that the focus on the vaccine could create unrealistic expectations. "Because of this issue, the media is shifting people's attention away from the main problem. People may begin to think that once the vaccine arrives, everything will be fine. That is the impression being created by some media reports," he said.

Emphasising the importance of vector control, Dr Wijewickrama urged greater attention to environmental measures to reduce mosquito breeding. "Have you ever asked whether all the garbage in Colombo has been cleared? If it hasn’t, why not? What measures are being taken to deal with that? Those are the kind of questions that should also be asked," he said, underscoring the need to continue focusing on source reduction and environmental management alongside any consideration of future vaccination.

Efforts made to contact the Deputy Director General of the Medical Supplies Division proved futile.

According to foreign media, India has also developed its own indigenous dengue vaccine, DengiAll. The live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine, designed to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes, is currently undergoing Phase III clinical trials in India to evaluate its safety and effectiveness before it can be considered for wider use.

The NaDSys Surveillance system of the National Dengue Control Unit noted that the number of dengue cases in the country had shot up to 78,125 with the dengue death toll reaching 56 by Tuesday midnight (21).