Seniors ought to skip the chikungunya vaccine after lethal problems, FDA warns

Federal well being officers are warning seniors to skip a vaccine usually given to vacationers to forestall a harmful mosquito-borne sickness.

In a well being alert, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention and the Meals and Drug Administration mentioned individuals 60 years of age and older ought to skip getting Valneva-developed Ixchiq vaccine used to guard towards chikungunya, a tropical illness.

Outbreaks of chikungunya linked to mosquitoes have been reported in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and islands within the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and may be unfold to unaffected areas by contaminated vacationers.

Individuals can turn out to be contaminated with the chikungunya virus when mosquitoes feed on one other contaminated particular person after which chew them. In accordance with the CDC, roughly 100-200 circumstances of chikungunya are reported yearly amongst U.S. vacationers.

Vaccine warning

The CDC recommends the vaccine pause whereas it investigates “critical hostile occasions,” together with neurologic and cardiac occasions. As of Might 7, 17 critical occasions, together with two deaths, have been reported in individuals ages 62 to 89 who obtained the Ixchiq vaccine. Six of the studies have been within the U.S.

About 80,000 doses of Ixchiq have been distributed globally and the CDC mentioned essentially the most critical points have been in individuals with underlying persistent circumstances. A number of the reactions included extreme chikungunya-like signs, comparable to fever and joint ache, complications, muscle ache, joint swelling and rashes that lasted so long as 30 days.

The FDA mentioned it’s conducting a threat evaluation associated to the vaccine for individuals ages 60 and older.

Ixchiq was first accepted in late 2023 for individuals age 18 and older who’re at better threat for the chikungunya virus, usually as a result of journey in impacted areas. The vaccine accommodates a stay, weakened model of the virus and disclosures on the vaccine point out it could possibly trigger signs much like the illness.