On Thursday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the world’s first vaccine for chikungunya, a virus spread by infected mosquitos that the FDA described as “an emerging global health threat.”

The vaccine, produced by Europe’s Valneva and marketed as Ixchiq, has been licenced for those aged 18 and over who are at high risk of exposure, according to the FDA.

The approval of Ixchiq by the US Food and Drug Administration is likely to accelerate the vaccine’s implementation in nations where the virus is most common.

Chikungunya, which causes fever and severe joint pain, is most commonly encountered in Africa, Southeast Asia, and areas of the Americas.

“However, chikungunya virus has spread to new geographical areas causing a rise in global prevalence of the disease,” the FDA said, reporting more than five million cases in the past 15 years.

“Infection with chikungunya virus can lead to severe disease and prolonged health problems, particularly for older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions,” senior FDA official Peter Marks said in a statement.

“Today’s approval addresses an unmet medical need and is an important advancement in the prevention of a potentially debilitating disease with limited treatment options.”

Although symptoms might linger for months or even years, the virus is rarely lethal. Aside from ordinary pain and fever relievers, there is currently no specialised treatment to treat chikungunya.

In the absence of preventative therapy, the only method to avoid illness was to avoid being bitten.

As with other immunisations, the vaccine is administered in a single dose and contains a live, weakened version of the chikungunya virus.

In North America, two clinical studies involving 3,500 participants were conducted. Common adverse effects were headache, weariness, muscle and joint discomfort, fever, and nausea.

In the trials, 1.6 percent of Ixchiq recipients experienced serious responses, with two requiring hospitalisation.

Some vaccine recipients had chikungunya-like adverse reactions that lasted for 30 days or more.

Chikungunya can be passed from a pregnant person to their unborn child, and the virus can be fatal to newborns.

The FDA in its statement noted it was not known whether the vaccine virus can be transmitted from mother to a baby in utero, nor if the vaccine can cause adverse effects in newborns.

Since chikungunya was first identified in Tanzania in 1952, it has been recorded in more than 110 countries, according to the World Health Organization.

Public health experts have expressed concerns that chikungunya could be a potential future pandemic threat as climate change pushes the mosquitoes that spread it into new regions.

An application for authorization has also been filed by Valneva with the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Source: Firstpost

BDST: 1240 HRS, NOV 10, 2023
MN