With Goa figuring in the 29 dengue endemic States and Union Territories in the country, Health Services has reportedly sought community participation in the battle against dengue by taking simple measures to stop dengue mosquito breeding. However what comes as a shocker is that a team led by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has explained how the dengue virus has reportedly evolved dramatically over the last few decades in the Indian subcontinent. There are reportedly four broad categories of the dengue virus namely Dengue 1, 2, 3 and 4. Using computational analysis, the team examined how much each of these serotypes deviated from their ancestral sequence. Researchers knew that Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) enhances severity, but wanted to know if that can also change the evolution of dengue virus. They have discovered that the dengue virus changes its shape through mutations in envelope protein to evade vaccines and therapeutics. Prevention of breeding of mosquitoes is the key to the control of dengue since there is no specific drug or vaccine against the disease.
