Chikungunya ‘stooping disease’ explained as UK approves first vaccine

By Hanna Geissler, Health Editor

The jab generated the people immune effect successful 99% of radical (Image: Getty)

The world’s archetypal vaccine for mosquito-borne chikungunya microorganism has been approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The illness strikes astir fractional a cardinal radical each twelvemonth and climate change has accrued the hazard of transmission successful Europe.So what is it and wherefore bash we request a vaccine?

What is chikungunya disease?

The viral illness that causes terrible associated symptom and tin marque sufferers walked with a stooped posture. The sanction “chikungunya” is comes from a connection successful the Kimakonde connection of Tanzania that means "to go contorted”.

The microorganism is transmitted by mosquitoes successful Africa, Asia and the Americas but cases are besides seen successful Europe, usually among radical who person precocious travelled to affected regions.

Around fractional a cardinal cases and much than 400 deaths were reported successful 2023, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Mosquito-borne diseases are spreading to caller areas acknowledgment to clime alteration (Image: Getty)

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of chikungunya see fever, terrible associated pain, associated swelling, headache, nausea, fever and rash. They usually statesman astir 4 to 8 days aft a idiosyncratic is bitten by an infected mosquito.

Most patients retrieve afloat but immoderate superior complications affecting the eyes, bosom and nerves person been affected. Chronic associated symptom tin besides persist for months oregon adjacent years.

There are nary circumstantial antiviral treatments available. Patients whitethorn beryllium fixed painkillers and drugs to code their fever and trim hazard of bleeding.

How does the vaccine work?

Developed by French biotech steadfast Valneva, the vaccine contains a signifier of the microorganism that has been weakened successful the laboratory truthful it cannot multiply. It works by grooming the immune strategy to recognise chikungunya microorganism and nutrient circumstantial antibodies to onslaught it.

A objective proceedings involving much than 4,000 radical who received either the vaccine oregon a placebo recovered that 99% of those inoculated had the required level of antibodies aft 1 month, and that level was maintained 2 years aboriginal for 97%.

How volition the vaccine beryllium used?

The vaccine volition initially beryllium disposable connected medicine privately for big travellers readying to sojourn precocious hazard countries. It could besides beryllium utilized much wide successful the lawsuit of an outbreak.

Julian Beach, the MHRA’s interim enforcement manager of healthcare prime and access, said: “While mostly endemic to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Americas, the microorganism has been detected successful tiny numbers successful caller geographical areas including parts of Europe.

“It is truthful important we are prepared for imaginable further spread. “