Chikungunya, which causes fever and severe joint pain, is commonly seen in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Americas.
“However, chikungunya virus has spread to new geographic areas, increasing the global spread of the disease,” the FDA said, adding that more than five million cases have been reported over the past 15 years.
“Chikungunya virus infection can cause serious illness and long-term health problems, especially for older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions,” senior FDA official Peter Marks said in a statement.
“Today’s approval addresses an unmet medical need and is an important advance in the prevention of a potentially debilitating disease with limited treatment options.”
Symptoms can sometimes last for months or years, but the virus is rarely fatal. Apart from general medicines to relieve pain and fever, there is currently no specific medicine to treat chikungunya.
In the absence of preventive treatment, until now the only way to prevent infection was to avoid bites.
