EU approves first Chikungunya vaccine

Brussels.- The European Commission has authorized the first Chikungunya vaccine in the European Union for individuals over 18. This virus, transmitted by mosquito bites, is not currently endemic in the EU. However, climate change has increased the presence of mosquitoes that spread serious diseases. A recent report from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed the presence of the tiger mosquito, capable of transmitting Chikungunya, in 13 EU and European Economic Area countries.

The vaccine has been approved for sale across the 27 EU countries following the European Medicines Agency’s endorsement. It is now up to individual governments to decide the conditions for its administration.

Additionally, the European Commission announced a €500,000 pilot program to eradicate the dengue mosquito in Cyprus, the only EU country where it has been found. This program will use the sterile insect technique, which involves releasing a large number of sterilized male insects to prevent female mosquitoes from reproducing.