Positive Results For Potential First Chikungunya Vaccine

While the results were hailed as good news in the fight against chikungunya, the trial was carried out on people in the United States, where the virus is extremely rare, with experts saying more research was needed.

French-Austrian drugmaker Valneva's vaccine candidate against chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus that causes occasional outbreaks across the world, showed promising results in a large new trial, a study said on Tuesday.

While the results were hailed as good news in the fight against chikungunya, the trial was carried out on people in the United States, where the virus is extremely rare, with experts saying more research was needed.

There are currently no vaccines or treatments available for the virus, which causes fever and sometimes debilitating joint pain, though it is rarely fatal.

Valneva says that its vaccine candidate, called VLA1553, is the first to be reviewed by health authorities after applying for approval in the US and Canada.