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India braces for monsoon dengue surge with new mosquito trap, first vaccine cleared
Drugs Controller General of India has cleared a vaccine developed by Japanese biopharma major Takeda designed to give protect against four strains of dengue virus
- PUBLISHED: Tue 21 Apr 2026, 9:00 AM UPDATED: Wed 22 Apr 2026, 3:46 PM
With the southwest monsoon expected to set in by mid-June, Indian civic bodies and officials are again readying to take on the challenges posed by mosquitoes, which proliferate and spread diseases, including dengue and malaria.
Mumbai’s municipal corporation has launched a new eco-friendly solution, called Muvvi trap, to tackle the growing menace of mosquito-borne diseases in the metropolis.
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Unlike conventional devices that aim to kill mosquitoes, the new one targets the breeding cycle at the source. A civic official told the media that the trap attracts female mosquitoes, which then lay eggs in the treated water. An insecticide then destroys the eggs. The initiative was launched under the Society for Mumbai Incubation Lab to Entrepreneurship (Smile).
Moreover, the Drugs Controller General of India has given a positive recommendation for a dengue vaccine by Japanese biopharma major Takeda, which is designed to protect against all four strains of the dengue virus
The vaccine by the Japanese company has been approved in more than 40 countries.
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The World Health Organisation ranks five countries among the 30 most highly endemic in the world to dengue. They include India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Dengue is rampant across tropical and sub-tropical countries around the world.
India saw 230,000 dengue cases in 2023 and 2024 as the disease surfaces every year during the rainy season. Last year, there were about 120,000 cases and almost 100 deaths because of dengue. The disease is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
There is a surge in dengue across India during the monsoon months. Dr Archana Pate, a senior consultant at Fortis hospital, told the media that India accounts for nearly a third of the global population at risk and also contributes to nearly 35 per cent of global infections.
