Potential Chikungunya Vaccine Developments

From 2013-2015, about 50% of the people living in Martinique and Guadeloupe were infected with Chikungunya virus. While this is not necessarily a fatal virus, it can cause lasting joint pain and the population is still trying to recover from its devastating effects. Because of its prevalence, especially in sub-tropical areas, researchers are trying to find ways to develop a vaccine against Chikungunya as quickly as possible so as to prevent more people from contracting these debilitating effects.

There are currently 16 possible vaccines in trials around the world. One of the most promising vaccines uses a measles-like vaccine that will allow the body to produce an immune response because it creates Chikungunya proteins. The preliminary results show that this vaccine produces a very large number of antibodies. However, it is only in the very early stages.

Vaccinating against Chikungunya virus is not totally unfeasible. Once infected with the virus, one is believed to hold lifelong immunity. Therefore, if a vaccination program could be effectively organized throughout the world, especially focusing on those areas where the virus is most prevalent, there is a possibility that the number of global cases would dramatically decrease. However, as vaccine specialist Johan Holst stated, "The timing is right; there are promising vaccine candidates in the pipeline; what's needed now is momentum."

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-01637-7

-Alexandra