Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne viral disease spread by the bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes that causes fever, severe joint and muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. Joint pain is often debilitating and can persist from weeks to years.

The vaccine can prove to be a boon for India as the disease is a major public health concern here. According to the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control data, the disease is endemic in almost all states with thousands of cases reported each year. The Centre, which is under the Union ministry of health and family welfare, reported 11,477 cases last year, and 12,587 this year so far.

“In 2006 Chikungunya re-emerged in the Country. Almost all states are affected by Chikungunya,” said the centre in a document on the disease situation in the country.

In the past, a Chikungunya epidemic fever was reported in 1963 (Kolkata), 1965 (Pondicherry and Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh; Sagar in Madhya Pradesh; and Nagpur in Maharashtra), and 1973, (Barsi in Maharashtra). Thereafter, sporadic cases also continued to be recorded especially in Maharashtra state during 1983 and 2000.

Nearly 100,000 confirmed cases have been reported from across the country and hundreds of thousands of suspected cases in the past five years, according to government data.

Also Read: US approves first vaccine against chikungunya virus

In 2004, the disease began to spread quickly, causing large-scale outbreaks around the world. Since the re-emergence of the virus, CHIKV has now been identified in over 110 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Valneva’s chikungunya vaccine is the world’s first and only licensed chikungunya vaccine, currently approved in the US, Europe, and Canada for the prevention of disease caused by the chikungunya virus in individuals 18 years of age and older. Regulatory reviews to expand the age range to individuals 12 years of age and older are currently ongoing, said Valneva in the statement.

The role of vaccines in preventive serious health conditions and death cannot be stressed enough, and there is need for countries to devote substantial resources towards the research and development of vaccines so that people can live better.