After many years of launching campaigns to prevent travelers from the chikungunya virus, there is finally a vaccine that will help people combat this tropical infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes. This was announced last Thursday, November 9, when the United States approved the vaccine.
What is the chikungunya virus?
This virus is present in tropical regions of the world such as Africa, Southeast Asia and in some regions of America. But in the last 15 years the disease has spread throughout the world, with at least 15 million cases.
Among the common symptoms of the chikungunya virus are sudden high fevers and joint pain, these symptoms can last from a few months to years. The disease is life-threatening; it can be fatal to babies whose mothers transmit the virus to them.
According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the number of registered cases is increasing worldwide, so the creation of a vaccine against this virus was already necessary.
“Chikungunya virus infections can cause serious and long-term health problems, especially in older people and people with medical history,” explains Peter Marks, a senior official at the US agency.
The Ixchiq vaccine against chikungunya
The vaccine, called Ixchiq, was created by Valneva, a Franco-Austrian biotechnology company specialized in travel vaccines.
Like any vaccine, Ixchiq contains the attenuated virus, to combat and prevent the spread of this disease, especially for those over 18 years of age who venture to travel. The vaccine will be a single dose, and this will protect people from contracting it.
In North America, clinical tests were carried out with thousands of people, giving good results to the vaccine since several of the people only had side effects such as fatigue, headaches, nausea and muscle pain. It should be mentioned that although everything turned out as a triumph, in the process 2 people had to go to the hospital.
Following the successful approval of Ixchiq, Valneva’s laboratory also applied for approval from the EMA, the European Medicines Agency. At the same time, the biotechnology company is working on another vaccine against Lyme disease. The latter could be marketed from 2026 in the United States.
2023-11-19 20:07:39
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