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Mahesh

17/11/23 10:24 AM IST

The first vaccine for chikungunya approved

In News
  • Recently,the world’s first vaccine for chikungunya was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S.
Chikungunya
  • Chikungunya, is characterised by severe joint pain and impaired mobility, and comes with fever.
  • It is a viral infection (CHIKV) transmitted primarily by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes and has been described as “an emerging global health threat.”
  • Chikungunya is prevalent in Africa, Asia, and the Americas; but sporadic outbreaks have been reported in other regions.
  • Since 2004, outbreaks of CHIKV have become more frequent and widespread, partly due to viral adaptations allowing the virus to be spread more easily by the Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.
  • As of now, there is no cure, only symptomatic relief, with analgesics to help with the pain, antipyretics for the fever, rest, and adequate fluids.
  • 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.
Vaccine Ixchiq
  • 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.
Role of Vaccine
  • The approval addresses an unmet medical need and is an important advancement in the prevention of a potentially debilitating disease with limited treatment options.
  • The approval will fast track the roll out of vaccines in countries where chikungunya is more prevalent, including Brazil, Paraguay, India (as per the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control, India had 93,455 suspected chikungunya cases until September in 2023), and parts of western Africa.
Source- The Hindu

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