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The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced today that it has approved Valneva SE's IXCHIQ® vaccine chikungunya vaccine (live) to protect adults against chikungunya disease.
On February 4, 2025, Julian Beach, MHRA Interim Executive Director of Healthcare Quality and Access, released a press release stating, "Patient safety is our top priority, which is why I am pleased to confirm the approval of the first vaccine in the UK to protect adults 18 years and older against Chikungunya disease."
This approval is essential as about 900,000 U.K. travelers visit India annually, and over five years, India recorded the second-highest number of chikungunya cases worldwide.
Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), commented in a press release on February 5, 2025, "Today's MHRA approval of Valneva's IXCHIQ® vaccine is an important step forward in protecting UK citizens traveling to affected countries—but the fight is not over."
"Our work now focuses on expanding access to vaccine doses, at an affordable price, in those endemic regions."
"As a major investor in CEPI, the UK Government is providing vital support to advance this goal, helping to make the vaccine accessible to those in Low- and Low-income countries who are most at risk from the disease while also protecting their population."
The IXCHIQ® vaccine has already been approved in the United States, Europe, and Canada.
Note: This news article was updated on Feb. 5, 2025, to include CEPI's quote.
A research study was recently conducted to assess the safety and tolerability of the tetravalent live-attenuated dengue vaccine, which is commercially known as Qdenga®. The study provides important insights into reactogenicity and may help improve vaccination strategies in dengue-naïve populations.
The study results were published in the Journal of Travel Medicine on February 2, 2025. Vaccine-related reactions were frequently reported, predominantly after the first dose in dengue-naïve participants.
While vaccine coadministration was a common strategy, it did not significantly increase side effects.
After the first dose, 51% of the participants reported systemic reactions, such as headache (40% (190/474)), weakness (40% (189/474)), and malaise (32% (154/474)), which were most pronounced between days 7 and 11 after vaccination.
After the second dose, localized signs and symptoms such as pain at the injection site (22% (n = 55/250)) were more common. Fever was more common after the first dose (20% (96/474)) vs. 2% (6/250) after the second.
A total of 334 (28%) coadministrations were reported, whereby AEs were reported in 47% (157/333) of participants, with the highest prevalence observed when combined with the Japanese encephalitis vaccine (56.8%, (42/74)).
Differences in age groups were observed, with decreased reactions in older people (≥ 65 years).
As of February 2025, Qdenga is not offered in the United States and is in limited supply globally.
Later this year, Butantan Institute's single-dose, tetravalent, live attenuated Butantan-DV dengue vaccine may become available in Brazil, where it conducts phase 3 clinical trials.
As the world reopened following the recent pandemic, international travelers sought innovative vaccines to protect themselves from infectious diseases.
For example, Bavarian Nordic A/S announced results for 2024 today, stating that its travel health business demonstrated strong growth of 22% in vaccine sales. Rabipur®/RabAvert® (rabies) and Encepur® drove this performance.
Paul Chaplin, President and CEO of Bavarian Nordic, released a press release on February 3, 2025, stating, "Our (vaccine) portfolio continues to grow, and we are truly excited to launch our chikungunya vaccine for travelers over 12 years old in Europe and the U.S. later this year."
"We are also continuing to expand our partnerships to improve access to critical vaccines for vulnerable populations around the globe."
Research reveals that about 1.4 billion air passengers traveled in 2024, a number that may increase by 9.9% annually through 2028.
Furthermore, last-minute travelers deferred about 18% of protective vaccines because of insufficient time before departure.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services of the Republic of Fiji announced today a dengue fever outbreak in the Western Division.
As of February 3, 2025, about 200 dengue cases have been reported for the Western Division since the beginning of this year. Most cases from the Western Division belong to the 10-29 age group.
The Ministry wrote in a press release, 'More cases of dengue fever are expected during the rainy season, which lasts until April 2025.'
In 2024, over 2,033 dengue fever cases were reported in Fiji.
The U.K. Travel Health Pro advises' taking usual precautions' when visiting Fiji. However, the U.S. CDC does not list Fiji in its Global Dengue Outbreak notice.
The U.K. says dengue is a mosquito-transmitted infection caused by the dengue virus. There are four types: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. A second-generation vaccine has been found effective against three types but has limited availability in 2025.
Located in the South Pacific Ocean, north-northeast of New Zealand, Fiji is an archipelago of about 100 inhabited islands. It is a tourist hot spot, welcoming over 900,000 visitors in 2024, many from Australia, New Zealand, and North America.
Should U.S. citizens need local assistance, the U.S. Department of State's embassy is located at 158 Princes Rd, Tamavua Suva, Fiji Islands.
The U.S. CDC recently published an Influenza Surveillance Report highlighting key updates for Week 4 of the current flu season in the United States.
As of January 31, 2025, the CDC reported sixteen pediatric deaths associated with seasonal influenza virus infection, bringing the total for the 2024-2025 season to 47. The CDC did not disclose these children's vaccination status or health conditions.
Last flu season, 207 children died from influenza infections.
Mortality surveillance data for all U.S. residents indicate that 1.6% of the deaths during Week 4 were due to influenza.
From a geographic perspective, the Walgreens Flu Index lists the top ten markets reporting influenza activity. These cities are primarily located in the south-central region:
- Oklahoma City, Okla.
- Columbus-Tupelo-West Point-Houston, Miss.
- Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas
- Jackson, Miss.
- El Paso, Texas (Las Cruces. N.M.)
- Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
- Montgomery-Selma, Ala.
- Bakersfield, Calif.
- Knoxville, Tenn.
- Austin, Texas
As of February 3, 2025, the CDC encourages most people to get an annual flu shot. Clinics and pharmacies in these ten cities and most others will offer flu shots to children and adults.
The Victoria Department of Health (VDH) recently confirmed that a human case of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) had been identified in a resident of northern Victoria.
This is the first case in Victoria in 2025.
On January 20, 2025, Dr. Christian McGrath, VDH's Acting Chief Health Officer, issued an alert stating that residents and visitors to northern Victoria, mainly inland riverine regions and near the Murray River, are potentially at higher risk of infection and should take measures to prevent mosquito bites.
Victoria is Australia's second-most-populated state, with a population of over 6.9 million. In 2024, it welcomed about 12 million visitors, many visiting the city of Melbourne.
Since January 2021, 45 people in Australia have been infected with JEV outbreaks, resulting in seven deaths.
In June 2023, the Joint National Japanese Encephalitis Virus Outbreak Response Plan became effective.
"Historically, the risk of contracting JE in Australia has been limited to the Torres Strait region near Papua New Guinea. However, since 2021, new cases have been confirmed in southeastern Australian states, including Victoria, where infections have occurred in rural areas surrounding the Murray River," Jeri Beales, MSN, RN, informed Vax-Before-Travel News.
"If your vacation itinerary takes you to popular tourist areas in major Australian cities, you most likely do not need the JE vaccine."
"But if you plan to stay in risk areas for weeks to months, then vaccination is recommended," added Beales, MSN, RN, leads Destination Health Clinic, a Boston-area travel health provider specializing in health education and vaccination for international travelers.
Since JEV is a vaccine-preventable disease, Valneva SE's JESPECT® vaccine is offered free of charge in Australia for specific groups at higher risk of exposure to the virus. However, due to the significant global demand for the vaccine, access is restricted to those most at risk.
In February 2025, IXIARO® will be the only JEV vaccine commercially offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in the United States. The vaccine requires two doses for U.S. travelers, usually given four weeks apart.
To protect its military staff from this mosquito-transmitted disease, the U.S. Department of Defense recently ordered $32.8 million worth of IXIARO.
Note: This VBT News article was updated on Feb. 4, 2025, to include a vaccine expert insight.
