Europe is preparing to fight the tiger mosquito, whose spread could be favored by climate change. The European Commission authorized on Friday the first vaccine against chikungunya, a virus mainly transmitted by these insects.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the sector’s regulator, had already given the green light to the marketing of this vaccine at the end of May, following a warning from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on the presence in several EU countries of mosquitoes capable of transmitting chikungunya, Zika virus, dengue fever and yellow fever.
This vaccine called Ixchiq, developed by the European laboratory Valneva Austria, comes in the form of a single dose and will be offered to adults over 18 years of age. It stimulates the body’s production of neutralizing antibodies 28 days after its administration, providing protection for a period of 6 months.
“Bent Man” Disease
“Although chikungunya is not endemic in the EU, the effects of climate change have led to an increased presence of mosquitoes transmitting serious diseases in Europe,” the Commission explained. Following the EMA’s assessment, all Member States approved the new vaccine.
The European Commission also announced on Friday funding of €500,000 for a project to eradicate a specific type of mosquito through sterilisation in Cyprus, the only EU country where it is present.
The virus mainly spreads in tropical and subtropical regions. The infection, a disease similar to dengue and that caused by the Zika virus, can cause patients to experience high fever and often debilitating joint damage.
There is currently no treatment for chikungunya, which means “bent man” disease in Kimakonde, a language spoken in Tanzania and Mozambique, a phrase evocative of the very strong joint pain felt.
