Chikungunya Vaccine

In News

• A multi-country Phase II / III clinical trial of a vaccine led by the International Vaccine Institute in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Ltd began in Costa Rica. 
• There is currently no vaccine or specific drug against Chikungunya.

About

• It is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) with support from the Ind-CEPI mission of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India.
• The development of the Chikungunya Vaccine is an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as part of the Global Chikungunya Vaccine Clinical Development Program (GCCDP).
• The vaccine is named BBV87 and going through a controlled trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a 2-dose regimen in healthy adults across five countries with endemic Chikungunya.
• Inactivated whole virion:
  • BBV87 vaccine is an inactivated whole virion vaccine based on a strain derived from an East, Central and South African genotype.
    • Inactivated vaccines contain viruses whose genetic material has been destroyed by heat, chemicals or radiation so they cannot infect cells and replicate.
  • Inactivated virions technology has a safety profile that potentially makes this vaccine accessible to special populations, such as the immunocompromised and pregnant women, that some other technologies cannot reach.

Chikungunya

• About:
  • Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by  Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. 
  • It is caused by an RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae
  • It causes fever and severe joint pain and other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. 
  • The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue and zika and can be misdiagnosed in areas where they are common.
  • The disease mostly occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. However, a major outbreak in 2015 affected several countries of the Region of the Americas.
• Treatment:
  • As of now, there is no specific antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya and treatment is directed primarily at relieving the symptoms, including the joint pain using antipyretics, optimal analgesics and fluids. 
• Diagnosis:
  • Several methods can be used for diagnosis. 
  • Serological tests, such as Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA), may confirm the presence of IgM and IgG anti-chikungunya antibodies. 
  • Samples collected during the first week after the onset of symptoms should be tested by both Serological and Virological methods (RT-PCR).
• Prevention and control:
  • Prevention and control rely heavily on reducing the number of natural and artificial water-filled container habitats that support the breeding of mosquitoes. This requires the mobilization of affected communities. 
  • During outbreaks, insecticides may be sprayed to kill flying mosquitoes, applied to surfaces in and around containers where the mosquitoes land and used to treat water in containers to kill the immature larvae.
  • Clothing that minimizes skin exposure to the day-biting vectors is advised and repellents can be applied to exposed skin or to clothing in strict accordance with product label instructions.
• Government Initiatives to Curb Chikungunya:

• National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) is a comprehensive programme for the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases namely Malaria, Filaria, Kala-azar, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Dengue and Chikungunya.

Source: DTE