First Vaccine for Chikungunya
Context:
- Recently, the world’s first vaccine for chikungunya was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S.
- The vaccine has been developed by European vaccine manufacturer Valneva and will be available under the brand Ixchiq.
- It has been approved for administration in people who are 18 years or older, and are at increased risk of exposure to the virus.
- It was approved using the Accelerated Approval pathway, which allows the FDA to clear certain products for serious or lifethreatening conditions based on evidence of a product’s effectiveness that is likely to provide clinical benefit.
What is chikungunya?
- It is a viral infection (CHIKV) transmitted primarily by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.
- It has been described as “an emerging global health threat.”
- It is characterised by severe joint pain and impaired mobility, and comes with fever.
- The WHO fact sheet says Chikungunya is prevalent in Africa, Asia, and the Americas; but sporadic outbreaks have been reported in other regions.
- Prevention includes mosquito control activities, primarily falling under public health outreach and routine civic maintenance.
- Individuals are also advised to use medicated mosquito nets and ensure that there is no water stagnation in any containers at home, in order to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
Symptoms:
- Most people infected with chikungunya virus will develop some symptoms. Symptoms usually begin 3–7 days after an infected mosquito bites you.
- The most common symptoms are fever and joint pain.
- Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.
- People at risk for more severe disease include newborns infected around the time of birth, older adults (≥65 years), and people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.
- Most patients feel better within a week. However, joint pain can be severe and disabling and may persist for months.
- Death from chikungunya is rare.
What is the vaccine composition?
- Ixchiq is administered as a single dose by injection into the muscle.
- It contains a live, weakened version of the chikungunya virus and may cause symptoms in the vaccine recipient similar to those experienced by people who have the disease.
- Its safety was evaluated in two clinical studies conducted in North America in which about 3,500 participants, 18 years of age and older, received a dose of the vaccine with the other study including about 1,000 participants receiving a placebo.
- The most reported side effects by vaccine recipients were headache, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, fever, nausea and tenderness at the injection site.
- The effectiveness of the vaccine was based on immune response data from a clinical study conducted in the U.S. in individuals 18 years of age and older.
Syllabus: Prelims
