Ixchiq (VLA1553): The first FDA-approved vaccine to prevent disease caused by Chikungunya virus infection
Hinh Ly
Abstract
Chikungunya, a disease caused by the arbovirus Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a member of the mosquito-borne Alphavirus genus in the Togaviridae family, poses a substantial health burden in Africa, Southeast Asia, and some parts of the America and Europe [1].Although the virus was rarely found in the USA, recent studies have reported a couple dozen cases in US travellers between 2006 and 2013 and cases of local transmissions reported in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in late 2014, raising public health concerns for US travellers and those living in warmer locales [2].The World Health Organization (WHO) considers chikungunya an emerging threat to global health that is responsible for at least 5 million cases in the past 15 years [3], although deaths and severe illness due to CHIKV infections are relatively rare.While 3% to 28% of CHIKV-infected individuals are asymptomatic, Chikungunya patients can experience fever, headache, and a skin rash, with about 20-30% of the patients developing severe and long-lasting joint pain and muscle pain (polyarthralgia and myalgia), and hence, the name Chikungunya which means "bending over in pain" in the Makonde dialect of Africa.The acute phase of the disease can last for about a week, which can be followed by a chronic phase that is characterized by severe and persistent joint pain with occasional ophthalmic, neurological, and cardiac complications [4].Chikungunya has no specific treatment, except for supportive cares, and can be debilitating and even deadly for newborns.Some neonatal cases can be associated with encephalitis.Neonates as well as the elderly bear a more substantial disease burden, with mortality rates being disproportionately higher in individuals aged 65 and above and underscoring the agedependent disease severity.