In April, Brazil’s Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) formally approved a recombinant attenuated vaccine for Chikungunya known as Ixchiq (VLA1553), indicated for people aged 18 and over at risk of exposure to the virus that causes the disease. The vaccine was approved based on successful safety and efficacy tests initially involving 4,000 volunteers in the USA, which led to its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2023. In Brazil, the tests were carried out between February 2022 and March 2023 by researchers from Austrian company Valneva and the Butantan Institute, with 754 participants (502 received the vaccine and 252 received a placebo). Approval of the vaccine included a commitment by ANVISA and Butantan to conduct additional studies of effectiveness, safety, and pharmacovigilance (monitoring) in Brazil. In early 2025, the Ministry of Health recorded 42,785 probable cases of Chikungunya, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries the dengue and Zika viruses (Lancet Infectious Diseases, January; Brazilian Ministry of Health, April 14).
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