Opportunities to tackle chikungunya have been set back after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put a halt on a vaccine that had raised hopes globally.
French drugmaker developed Ixchiq vaccine and was the initial preventive injection against the mosquito-borne disease to be cleared in Europe and the U.S. last year.
But now, the FDA has suspended its use after four patients developed severe complications. Three of them were aged between 70 to 82 years.
The vaccine’s manufacturer has confirmed that it has received directions to halt supply in America. It is also facing fresh scrutiny by regulators in Europe.
The same Aedes mosquito that carries dengue is responsible for carrying chikungunya. The patients also get severe fever and severe pain in their joints, and in some cases, the disease runs for months.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously issued a warning of an imminent global epidemic like the one in the past two decades.
The virus has just spread from the Indian Ocean region into the European part of the world.
Kenya is one of the nations already fighting the disease. Mombasa County reported 25 cases out of 45 samples subjected to analysis at KEMRI in June. Mvita, Nyali, Likoni and Kisauni were the hardest hit.
With the vaccine suspended, prevention and insect control remain the best defense in the meantime, say public health officials.
