Experimental Vaccine For Chikungunya Passes First Test
Scientists have taken the first steps to developing a vaccine for chikungunya — an emerging mosquito-borne virus that has infected more than a half million people in the Western Hemisphere this year. About 600 Americans have brought the virus to 43 states.
The study was small. Only 25 people were given the experimental vaccine. But the findings are promising. They demonstrate that the vaccine is safe and that it triggers a strong response from the immune system, scientists reported Friday in the Lancet journal.
Sick with chikungunya, Karla Sepulveda, 5, waits in a public hospital with her grandmother in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, on May 15. The Caribbean nation has reported more than 100,000 cases this year.
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Chikun-What? A New Mosquito-Borne Virus Lands In The U.S.
Until last year, chikungunya was found only in parts of Africa and Asia. Then in December, the virus started circulating on the island of St. Martin in the Caribbean.
From there, chikungunya spread like wildfire. It hopped from island to island in the Caribbean and spilled over into Central America and parts of South America. By July, chikungunya had found its way to Florida. At least four people have caught the virus in Florida. And the state has recorded 138 imported cases. New York state has the second largest number of imported cases, 96.
Chikungunya usually isn't fatal. But it causes a high fever, headache, nausea and extreme joint pain — which can linger for months. And there's no cure or vaccine.
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