Chikungunya: Monkeypox Redux

Amazing! They got that vaccine developed just in time!

See my recent live blog of the CDC ACIP February 23 meeting to learn that while there is virtually no chikungunya in the US, FDA and CDC have been busy getting ready to license and roll out a vaccine for the disease. FDA is reviewing the submission and expects to issue a determination in August 2023.

CDC has rolled out dengue vaccine in Puerto Rico, and chikungunya vaccine will probably be next. It is a viral, mosquito-borne illness, so you might also simply use bug spray when travelling to an endemic region. The illness is similar to dengue.

https://www.vaxbeforetravel.com/chikungunya-outbreaks-accelerate-and-turn-fatal

During the first eight epidemiological weeks of 2023, 115,539 cases and 33 fatalities due to chikungunya infection were reported.

Just like moneypox (that is, after initial claims that 1 in 10 cases were fatal) about 1 in 500 cases are claimed to be fatal. But for moneypox virtually all of those cases were severely ill prior to getting monkeypox. According to the WHO, “Severe symptoms and deaths from chikungunya are rare and usually related to other coexisting health problems.”

https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/vaccines/valneva-chikungunya-vaccine-vla1553

…market research indicates that the global vaccine market against Chikungunya will exceed $500 million annually by 2032.