The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the world's first chikungunya vaccine, recognizing it as an "emerging global health threat." Valneva's Ixchiq vaccine, now approved for individuals 18 and older at increased risk, focuses on the mosquito-borne illness, aiming to expedite global distribution.
View of Aedes aegypti specimens, the mosquitos that transmit Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya virus, displayed by the Peruvian Health Ministry in Lima on January 27, 2016.
Chikungunya Symptoms and Treatment
Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease causing fever and severe joint pain, first recognized during a 1952 outbreak in southern Tanzania. Belonging to the Togaviridae family's alphavirus genus, the RNA virus's name, originating from the Kimakonde language, conveys the stooped appearance in joint pain sufferers.
Infected female mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, transmit the disease, with peak biting activity during daylight, including mornings and late afternoons.
While traditionally prevalent in Africa and Asia, chikungunya has seen imported cases in the WHO European Region and the Region of the Americas, totaling over 2 million reported cases since 2005. The virus has spread to over 110 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
Chikungunya virus typically manifests symptoms in individuals 3-7 days after a mosquito bite, with fever and joint pain being the most common. While most patients recover within a week, severe joint pain may persist for months, and individuals at higher risk for severe disease include newborns, older adults, and those with underlying health conditions, although death from chikungunya is rare.
Currently, there is no specific medicine for chikungunya, with symptom relief often achieved through rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medications.
Individuals with the virus are advised to take acetaminophen or paracetamol for fever and pain, avoid aspirin and NSAIDs until dengue can be ruled out due to the risk of bleeding, and prevent mosquito bites during the first week of illness when the virus can be present in the blood and transmitted through mosquito bites.
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First-Ever Approved Chikungunya Vaccine
The approval of the world's first chikungunya vaccine by the FDA marks a crucial step in addressing this emerging global health threat, expected to accelerate the vaccine's global rollout for individuals aged 18 and older at increased risk.
Chikungunya's widespread presence underscores its status as a significant global health concern, necessitating ongoing efforts to combat its transmission and mitigate the impact on affected populations.
The newly approved vaccine, Ixchiq, will be accessible to at-risk adult populations, including those who have recently visited regions with infected mosquito populations and individuals with predisposing factors.
European Centers for Disease Control Director Andrea Ammon warns that climate change, emphasized by the European Union in June, increases the threat of diseases such as chikungunya for Americans and Europeans.
The rising global temperatures facilitate the expansion of disease-carrying mosquitoes into previously untouched regions, potentially resulting in higher instances of the disease and fatalities.
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