Speaker
Description
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is re-emerging as a One Health threat at the human-vector-climate interface. WHO and ECDC data show major resurgence in 2025-2026, with large outbreaks in the Indian Ocean and the Americas and substantial autochthonous transmission in Europe, including 788 confirmed locally acquired cases in France and 384 in Italy in 2025. European evidence, indicates that once Aedes albopictus is established, transmission risk is shaped by vector distribution, seasonal abundance and mobility rather than temperature alone. Vaccine prevention has advanced rapidly. IXCHIQ, a single-dose live-attenuated vaccine, induces near-complete seroresponse, with neutralizing antibodies persisting in 95% of vaccinees 4 years after one dose; however, post-marketing safety signals, including serious neurologic adverse events and aseptic meningitis, have sharpened benefit-risk assessment, especially in older adults and people with chronic disease. VIMKUNYA, a single-dose recombinant virus-like-particle vaccine, achieved seroresponse in 98% of 12-64-year-olds and 87% of adults aged ≥65 years by day 22, with persistence for at least 6 months, offering a non-live alternative for adolescents and adults. Together, these data support risk-adapted vaccination embedded in integrated surveillance, vector control and climate-sensitive preparedness for travellers, outbreak-prone regions and newly exposed European settings
Keywords
Chikungunya, Vaccine, Virus, Aedes, Arbovirus
| Registration ID | OHS26-67 |
|---|---|
| Professional Status of the Speaker | Professor |
| Junior Scientist Status | No, I am not a Junior Scientist. |
