Europe reviews Valneva’s chikungunya vaccine
Context:
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has temporarily suspended the use of Valneva’s chikungunya vaccine (Ixchiq) in adults aged 65 and above due to reports of serious adverse events, including two deaths.
Relevance : GS2(Health)
Chikungunya
- Pathogen: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV)
- Family: Togaviridae
- Genus: Alphavirus
- Type: RNA virus
- First Identified: 1952, in Tanzania
Transmission:
- Primary vectors: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (also vectors for Dengue, Zika).
- Mode of spread: Mosquito bite (not human-to-human directly).
- Most transmission occurs during the daytime (mosquitoes are diurnal).
Symptoms:
- Incubation: 2 to 7 days
- Key symptoms:
High fever, Severe joint pain ,Rash,Muscle pain, Headache, Fatigue
- Joint pain can persist for weeks or months, especially in older individuals.
Treatment & Prevention:
- No specific antiviral treatment.
- Supportive care: Rest, fluids, analgesics
Global Impact:
- Endemic in: Africa, Asia, Indian subcontinent, Caribbean, Americas.
- India has had frequent outbreaks since 2006.
- Recent outbreaks in Italy (2007, 2017), France (2010), and Latin America.
Vaccines:
- No widely deployed vaccine until recently.
- Valneva’s Ixchiq:
- First approved vaccine (by US FDA in 2023)
- Live-attenuated formulation
- EMA currently reviewing safety due to adverse events in elderly
- Other vaccines under trial: VLA1553, Bharat Biotech candidates.
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