On Friday 28 June, the European Commission announced the authorisation of the very first vaccine against the Chikungunya virus, a disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes.
The marketing of the “Ixchiq” vaccine, developed by an Austrian laboratory, was unanimously approved by the Member States of the European Union following an assessment by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
“It is up to national authorities in each Member State to decide who will have access to the vaccine, taking into account the national situation and risk status”, the Commission said in a press release on Friday.
Chikungunya (or ‘CHIK fever’) is not endemic in the EU, but the effects of climate change have led to an increase in the presence of mosquitoes transmitting serious diseases in Europe.
A recent report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed the presence of the Aedes albopictus mosquito in 13 countries of the EU or European Economic Area, and of the Aedes aegypti mosquito in Cyprus, which can contribute to the spread of the Chikungunya virus, the Zika virus, dengue fever and yellow fever.
On Friday, the Commission also announced funding of €500,000 under the EU4Health programme for a pilot project aimed specifically at eradicating the Aedes aegypti mosquito in Cyprus. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)