The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has passed the approval of the world’s first chikungunya vaccine Ixchiq. Only the individuals of 18 years or above who are at increased risk of exposure to mosquito-borne virus will be vaccinated.
Chikungunya is a disease caused by a virus CHIKV that is spread on by infected mosquitoes. The disease is more common in tropical and subtropical climates and the region where it has higher impact is Africa, Asia and the Americas.
The approval of vaccine in the United States is likely to boost the speed of the vaccine’s rollout in the countries where the disease is a public health issue. This is the important advancement in the prevention of a potentially debilitating disease with limited treatment options.
