New chikungunya vaccine
- June 15, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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New chikungunya vaccine
Subject: Science and technology
Section: Health
Concept:
- A new clinical study shows promising results of a Phase III chikungunya vaccine trial, the first time the shot has been tested in humans.
Chikungunya
- Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) that causes fever and severe joint pain.
- The disease was first recognized in 1952 during an outbreak in southern Tanzania.
- It is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae.
- The name “chikungunya” derives from a word in the Kimakonde language of southern Tanzania, meaning “to become contorted”, and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain (arthralgia).
- Chikungunya is transmitted to humans by the bites of infected female mosquitoes – Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
Treatment and vaccines
- The clinical management includes addressing fever and joint pain.
- There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for CHIKV infections.
- There is no commercial vaccine available to protect against chikungunya virus infection.
Global scenario
- Tropical regions currently see the highest rates of the virus, with Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Thailand most affected.
- Outbreaks have been ongoing in Congo, Sudan and Kenya since 2018, but cases have been relatively low.
- However, a major 2013 outbreak of chikungunya in South America led to over 1 million infections in just a few months.
- While death rates were low, around 52% of infected people experienced severe joint pain lasting months.
- Studies suggest the disease caused the loss of 150,000 disability-adjusted life-years in 2014 alone.
- The measurement represents the loss of the equivalent of one year of full health.
The new vaccine:
- The vaccine contains a modified, live version of the chikungunya virus that can replicate in the body without causing severe illness.
- Live vaccines closely mimic natural infections, triggering a robust immune response that provides long-lasting and broad protection.
- Other live vaccines:
- measles, mumps and rubella (MMR combined vaccine), smallpox and yellow fever are all live vaccines.
- Risks associated with live vaccines:
- Rare possibility of the weakened virus reverting to a more virulent form.