Dengue Vaccine clinical trials to begin in November.
ICMR and Panacia Biotech to conduct trials in 20 centers across India.
More than 10,000 people to be given dengue vaccine on trial basis.
Panacea Biotech has already started working on developing a dengue vaccine.
The first and second phase of clinical trials have already been completed.
The third phase of clinical trials was scheduled to begin in March-April this year.
If that trial had been successful, the long-awaited dengue vaccine would have been available to the people of India.
However, due to some complications with the vaccine, the third or final phase of clinical trials was delayed.
Some changes had to be made to the vaccine. Those changes are now complete.
About 10,500 volunteers will be given the dengue vaccine on a trial basis.
They will be monitored for a year. The amount of antibodies produced in the body to fight dengue will be tested.
If the vaccine is successful in the final phase, it will be made available to the general public.
It remains to be seen how successful this third and final phase of clinical trials will be.
In this regard, NISER Director Shanta Dutta said, "An important aspect of the dengue vaccine is that it will work in areas where dengue is more prevalent. The vaccine will be given based on the seropositivity rate."