New hope for prevention of chikungunya virus?

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. More than 40 countries around the world have populations at-risk for the painful infection, and there are currently no approved medications specifically to treat or prevent spread of the disease.

To help lessen the burden of chikungunya, nations in endemic areas have taken to creative mosquito control methods, and while such practices will eventually help lower the number of chikungunya cases, they do nothing for those who still contract the virus.

Hope may be seen in the near future, however, as researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, feel they have developed an effective vaccine.

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“Since 2006, the virus has caused outbreaks of disease where it had never been previously reported, including Italy, France, and most recently, the USA,” says study leader Dr. Julie Ledgerwood to MNT. “Currently, we have no licensed vaccines or approved drugs for this debilitating infection, which causes fever and intensely painful, severe arthritis.”

Chikungunya, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by joint pain. Other common signs and symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The joint pain is often very debilitating, but usually lasts for a few days or may be prolonged to weeks. The symptoms of infection generally manifest within 12 days of a bite from a infected mosquito, and while not usually fatal in health adults, chikungunya can contribute to cause of death in the elderly.

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Clinical trials in humans are now underway for the new vaccine, and early reports indicate a series of several injections of the vaccine appear to be well tolerated among the 25 test subjects. Four participants reported mild to moderate side-effects, but even the lowest doses of the vaccine tested appear to generate effective disease-neutralizing antibodies.

The downside to developing a vaccine for chikungunya is the cost; the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicate the cost to develop a vaccine from start to finish can be upwards of $500 million; however, chikugunya is so prevalent and outbreaks occur so frequently, the global risk outweighs the extreme cost of research.

$500 million may seem like an outrageous number, but chikungunya costs millions of dollars annually just to treat those who contract the virus.