Although dengue has been around for a long time, no one has ever found a vaccine to combat the illness. That is, until now.

As it turns out, the world's first dengue vaccine has finally seen its approval after 20 years of research. The Economic Times reports:

"The Mexican drug authorities have approved Sanofi Pasteur's first ever dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, which promises to reduce the disease burden by 50 percent in five years among vulnerable populations."

In case you didn't know, the mosquito-borne infection puts half of the entire world's population at risk of being infected with the disease.

According to Bloomberg, Sanofi expects to receive more approvals in the following weeks - specifically in Latin America and Asia - as said by Sanofi Pasteur's vaccine unit head Olivier Charmei.

"We are making dengue a preventable disease, which makes us incredibly proud," Charmei mentioned in the interview with Bloomberg.

A recent estimate from the World Health Organization says that approximately 390 people are infected with dengue per year.

As it turns out, Dengvaxia can help prevent all four kinds of the dengue virus. The virus has already affected Portugal, France, Florida and Japan as of recent time and has even increased the likelihood of "explosive outbreaks," as per the World Health Organization.

In a press release, Sanofi Pasteur in a statement:

"The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) has approved Dengvaxia, tetravalent dengue vaccine, for the prevention of disease caused by all four dengue virus serotypes in preadolescents, adolescents and adults, 9 to 45 years of age living in endemic areas."

Dengavaxia has been under development spanning the last 20 years, and has even racked up costs of 1.5 billion euros ($1.65 billion), which includes manufacturing investments. Sanofi Pasteur is still awaiting the dengue vaccine's approval in 19 other countries.