Valneva SE announced that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend use of Valneva’s single-dose chikungunya vaccine IXCHIQ® for the prevention of disease caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV).
ACIP recommends IXCHIQ® for persons aged ≥18 years traveling to a country or territory where there is a chikungunya outbreak. Additionally, it may be considered for persons traveling to a country or territory without an outbreak but with evidence of CHIKV transmission within the last five years, who are aged >65 years and likely to have at least moderate exposure to mosquitos (at least two weeks, cumulatively) or who are traveling for a longer duration (six months or more, cumulatively). ACIP also recommended chikungunya vaccination for laboratory workers with potential for exposure to CHIKV.
Juan Carlos Jaramillo, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Valneva, commented, “Chikungunya poses a significant risk to individuals journeying to or residing in regions where the chikungunya virus and its mosquito vectors thrive. IXCHIQ offers advantages to travelers on vacation and visiting family and to people engaged in business ventures, missions, or laboratory duties. We embrace the ACIP endorsement, marking IXCHIQ® as the only approved and recommended vaccine for the target population. We will continue collaborating with regulatory authorities worldwide to increase the accessibility of IXCHIQ® across regions.”
The ACIP recommendations will be forwarded to the director of the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for review and approval. Once approved, the final recommendations will be published in a future Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) to advise healthcare providers on appropriate use of the vaccine.
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