EU regulator recommends use of Valneva's chikungunya vaccine

London: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the use of Valneva's single-shot vaccine for chikungunya virus, the regulator said on Friday.

With an approval from the European Commission following this recommendation, the French vaccine maker's VLA1553 will be the first preventive shot to be approved in Europe for adults suffering from the mosquito-borne disease.

VLA1553 received the U.S. health regulator's nod in November last year and is sold in the country under the brand name Ixchiq.

During late-stage trials, the vaccine induced antibody levels that could neutralise the chikungunya virus in 98.9 per cent of participants for 28 days post-vaccination.

Currently, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends rest, fluids and the use of analgesics and antipyretics to treat the symptoms of chikungunya.

In 2023, about 500,000 chikunguniya cases and over 400 deaths had been reported worldwide.

The chikungunya virus is spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms of infection are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. (Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Ravi Prakash Kumar)