‘Huge leap forward’ as world’s first vaccine for chikungunya virus is approved


Sarah Newey
Mon, 13 November 2023

The disease, similar to dengue and Zika, is spread by the same mosquito - Joao Paulo Burini/Moment RF

The world’s first vaccine for chikungunya virus has been approved by the United States, a “huge leap forward” for efforts to combat the debilitating mosquito-borne disease.

The US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) have given the green light to a single-dose shot developed by the European firm Valneva, for use in those aged 18 and older who are at heightened risk of contracting the dengue-like virus.

“[The] approval addresses an unmet medical need and is an important advancement in the prevention of a potentially debilitating disease with limited treatment options,” said Prof Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.


Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist, Sir Jeremy Farrar, added that the milestone was “very important”.

Chikungunya – which comes from a word meaning “to become contorted” in the Kimakonde language spoken in parts of east Africa – was first detected in Tanzania in 1952, and triggered the first documented outbreaks in cities in Thailand and India some 15 years later.

Symptoms of chikungunya include fever, severe joint pain and swelling, headaches, fatigue and a rash - Eraxion/Stockphoto

The disease has similar symptoms to dengue and Zika – including fever, severe joint pain and swelling, headaches, fatigue and a rash – and is spread by the same mosquito, complicating diagnosis. It is rarely fatal – of about 440,000 cases reported as of September, 350 people died – yet there are currently no treatments to specifically target the pathogen.

The US FDA describes chikungunya an “emerging global health threat” because, although the risk remains highest in subtropical regions, it is increasingly spreading. This is a result of viral adaptations, which make it easier for mosquitoes to spread the infection, and warming temperatures, allowing these insects to thrive in new territories.

The Valneva vaccine, known as Ixchiq, is the first chikungunya vaccine to gain regulatory approval, after it was found to induce antibody levels that could neutralise the virus in 98.9 per cent of participants for 28 days post-vaccination.

On Monday, the company unveiled additional results that showed similar results in 12-18 year olds.

‘Designed specifically’ for affordability

Yet the FDA has asked Valneva to conduct a post-marketing study to assess the risk of severe chikungunya-like adverse reactions following administration of Ixchiq, after 1.6 per cent of participants who received the vaccine had severe chikungunya-like adverse reactions.

It is not yet clear how many doses of Ixchiq – which is also under review by the European Medicines Agency – are already available, nor how quickly it will be released on the market in America. Valneva has not yet responded to the Telegraph’s questions.

But in a blog post, Dr Richard Hatchett – chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which part-funded the development of Ixchiq – said the vaccine had been “designed specifically” to allow it to be manufactured and affordable in low- and middle-income countries.

He added that, because it is a single-dose vaccine, it is also “well-suited for use in outbreak responses and in low-resource settings” – although it may take some time to go through the regulatory process in endemic countries like Brazil, where 219,000 cases have been reported this year.

“[Approval] is a huge leap forward in the fight against this debilitating disease,” said Dr Hatchett. “The next step is even more important: making this vaccine accessible to those living in endemic countries who are most at risk from the disease.”