Chikungunya vaccine to be added to Brazil’s public health care system
Brazil’s Ministry of Health is going to request that the chikungunya vaccine be incorporated into the country’s public health care system, the SUS. The inoculation, produced by the Butantan Institute in partnership with the Austrian pharmaceutical company Valneva, had its registration approved this week by the Brazilian drug authority Anvisa.
The ministry expects that, once approved and produced, the vaccine will be incorporated into the National Immunization Program.
Initial production of the inoculation is expected to take place in by the company IDT Biologika GmbH, with technology expected to be shared with the Butantan Institute for future manufacture in Brazil.
The disease
Chikungunya is transmitted through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever and the Zika virus. The illness causes high fever and intense t pain, which can develop into chronic pain.
The virus was introduced into Brazil in 2014 and currently all states have recorded cases. By April 14, the country had recorded 68,100 cases of the disease, with 56 confirmed deaths.
Brazilian technology
The vaccine approved by Anvisa had been approved by international regulatory agencies such as the US Food and Drug istration and the European Medicines Agency for use in adults.
It is a single-dose attenuated recombinant vaccine indicated for people aged 18 and over who are at high risk of exposure to the virus. It is contraindicated for pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals.
