Costa Rica’s Health Ministry on Monday approved the use of Dengvaxia, the first licensed dengue vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization.

In December, the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia was approved for use in Mexico, Brazil and the Philippines, following successful clinical trials started in 2011.

The Pacific provinces of Guanacaste and Puntarenas account for 70 percent of cases of dengue in Costa Rica so far this year, the Public Health Ministry reported. The number of cases of chikungunya in Costa Rica is increasing, the same report noted.

Nearly one year since the confirmation of the first cases of the virus, the total number of infected people this week reached 748.

The coastal provinces of Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limón registered the most cases of dengue during the first five months of 2015.

Coming down with dengue or chikungunya is a feverish nightmare. Now imagine having both viruses at the same time. That's what happened to two residents of the Pacific community of Chomes, in Puntarenas, who tested positive for both viruses, Costa Rica’s Health Ministry reported Thursday.

LONDON — Scientists have discovered new antibodies that neutralize viruses that cause dengue, potentially putting a universal vaccine within reach for a mosquito-borne illness that strikes an estimated 400 million people a year.

Central America's recent drought may be causing losses in the country's agriculture sector and the drinking water supply, but the unusually dry rainy season has also meant fewer mosquitoes and a significant drop in the number of cases of dengue in both Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Ten thousand mosquitoes immunized against dengue fever have been released in Brazil as part of an innovative attempt to curb the spread of the tropical viral sickness, biologists said Thursday.

The vaccine proved effective against dengue symptoms in 56.5 percent of those studied and even more effective against the hemorrhagic fever, at 88.5 percent.