The Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine in Novosibirsk, in collaboration with colleagues from Sweden, has developed five compounds that could potentially serve as the foundation for a drug to treat dengue fever, a mosquito borne disease. This was announced to TASS by Vladimir Koval, the director of the institute.
“Due to climate change, Russia is becoming an increasingly warmer country, and the southern regions are already affected by dengue fever. Our institute is doing the research together with the Sweden’s Stockholm University. We are currently in the synthesis stage,” Koval said. According to him, there are no more developments aimed to counteract dengue fever in the country.
The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges that while dengue has historically been concentrated in tropical and subtropical areas, it has rapidly expanded to nearly all regions. More than 80% of cases are usually mild or asymptomatic, but the virus can cause acute conditions that can develop into a potentially fatal complication.
Meanwhile, as previously stated by the head of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency Veronika Skvortsova, the organization is developing a vaccine against dengue fever. The project is being implemented at the request of the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega. In 2024, a record outbreak of the disease was recorded in the country, affecting 92,000 people.
