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Chikungunya Vaccine

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Science & Technology
  • Published
    28th Aug, 2021

Bharat Biotech has commenced a multi-country Phase II/III clinical trial of its chikungunya vaccine candidate (BBV87), with the first participant receiving a dose in Costa Rica.

Context

Bharat Biotech has commenced a multi-country Phase II/III clinical trial of its chikungunya vaccine candidate (BBV87), with the first participant receiving a dose in Costa Rica. 

About vaccine

  • BBV87 is an inactivated virus vaccine.
    • Inactivated vaccines are another form of vaccine, where the virus is inactivated during the process of making the vaccine. 
      • Inactivated vaccines are not strongly influenced by antibodies in the host body, compared to live vaccines.
    • This trial of a vaccine led by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL).

 International Vaccine Institute (IVI) 

  • IVI is an international non-profit organization devoted to developing and introducing new and improved vaccines to protect the people, especially children, against deadly infectious  diseases.
  • It was established in 1997 on the initiatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
  • Its work is exclusively on vaccine development and introduction specifically for people in developing countries, with a focus on neglected diseases affecting these regions.
  • Currently, IVI has 40 countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) as signatories to its Establishment Agreement.
  • India has become a full-time member of IVI.

About Chikungunya disease

  • Chikungunya is a viral illness transmitted by mosquitoes that causes the sudden onset of fever and severe joint pain.
  • Spready by: Chikungunya virus is most often spread to people by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus These are the same mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus.
  • Symptoms: fatigue, muscle pain, headache and rash. Signs and symptoms usually appear within two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
  • Chikungunya virus was first identified in Tanzania in 1952, with sporadic outbreaks of the disease reported subsequently across Africa and Asia. 

Verifying, please be patient.

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