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The first vaccine for dengue could become available by 2015, as last stage clinical trials have established its efficiency.

According to The Economic Times, the vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur had shown 95.5 percent efficiency against the most severe form of dengue, the dengue hemorrhagic fever, and reduced hospitalization risk by 80.3 percent. Sanofi said 31,000 people across Asia and Latin America were part of the last stage clinical trials. In Latin America alone, nearly 20,000 people participated in the last stage trial.

"Subject to regulatory approval, the world's first dengue vaccine could be available in the second half of 2015," Sanofi said according to Reuters. The pharmaceutical major reportedly invested $ 1.7 billion over the last 20 years for developing the vaccine.

For countries like India where dengue is endemic, the vaccine is crucial. Dengue affects hundreds of thousands of people and in many cases is fatal. It also accounts for mass hospitalizations. Sporadic outbreaks of the disease have been reported in recent past. The number of cases increases steeply post monsoon in India. Sanofi hopes that its vaccine would reduce hospitalization and relieve burden off the country's healthcare system.

While Sanofi hailed the vaccine, immunologists and other experts said that the vaccine is not perfect but it is the best there is.

"It is not a perfect vaccine yet, but a promising one. It is most important to protect against severe disease versus mild disease, so reduction by 95 percent is very good," The Verge quoted Nanyang Technological University epidemiologist Annelies Wilder-Smith.  

Though the vaccine had shown high efficiency against severe forms, it fell short of expectations against less severe forms, serotypes I and II. The vaccine reported a 50.3 percent and 42.3 percent against these two forms.