Why did America approve the chikungunya virus vaccine?
It mainly affects the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Southeast Asia but the spread of the chikungunya virus has also spread to new geographical areas. Now, only in the USA at the moment, the first vaccine in the world that can counteract it has been approved. All the details
It was talked about as a promising drug already at the end of 2021 , but now with the authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (Fda) confirmation has arrived. The French company Valneva's vaccine against the chikungunya virus – the first in the world – has in fact obtained the green light for marketing.
WHAT IS THE CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS AND WHAT EFFECTS IT HAS
Chikungunya, explains the Higher Institute of Health (ISS), is a viral disease that is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes and can then pass from human to human. It is characterized by fever and severe joint pain that limits patients' movements. Hence the name chikungunya, which in Swahili means "that which curves" or "writhes". The pain generally lasts a few days but can also last for a few weeks. The virus can also cause acute, subacute or chronic disease.
In most cases, patients recover completely, but in some cases, joint pain can persist for months or even years. Serious complications rarely occur, however in the elderly the disease can be a contributing cause of death.
For the ISS it is among the most important imported diseases together with dengue, yellow fever, West Nile , Japanese encephalitis and those caused by hantavirus.
WHERE IT IS WIDESPREAD
The chikungunya virus has now been identified in over 60 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. It is generally found in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Southeast Asia and some parts of the Americas, however, according to the FDA, due to the climate crisis "it has spread to new geographic areas causing an increase in the global prevalence of the disease" and it is “an emerging threat to global health”.
In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 5 million cases have been reported in the last 15 years and this year, as of September, around 440,000 cases have been reported, including 350 deaths.
Data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) also shows that Brazil has recorded the highest number of cases this year, with 218,613 cases, and more than 93,000 cases have also been reported in India.
WHO WILL BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THE VACCINE
At the moment only the United States has approved the first vaccine against chikungunya but this announcement is expected to accelerate its rollout also in countries where the virus is more widespread.
The FDA approved it for people 18 and older who are at increased risk of exposure.
WHO PRODUCES IT
The vaccine, marketed under the name Ixchiq and administered in a single dose, was produced by the pharmaceutical company Valneva based in Saint-Herblain, France, and specialized in the development of vaccines for infectious diseases.
From the advanced phase clinical studies , on which the FDA's judgment was based, it emerged that Ixchiq is able to induce levels of antibodies capable of neutralizing the chikungunya virus in 98.9% of participants. Serious adverse reactions similar to those of chikungunya, requiring medical intervention, were reported by almost 2% of people who received the vaccine, and only 2 of the approximately 3,500 people who participated in the trial had to go to hospital to cause of the reaction.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/perche-lamerica-ha-approvato-il-vaccino-contro-il-virus-chikungunya/ on Fri, 10 Nov 2023 13:20:06 +0000.