Chikungunya Patients in Mumbai are Bedridden

According to the Times of India, 267 chikungunya cases were reported in Mumbai, India, between July and September 14, 2024. This data indicates India may exceed last year's 200,000 reported chikungunya cases.

BMC's health update on September 16, 2024, stated that doctors have confirmed that patients with mosquito-borne diseases, dengue, and chikungunya are being admitted to the Mumbai hospital with complaints of very high fever, vomiting, and severe body aches.

"Patients with chikungunya are literally bedridden due to debilitating joint pain and high temperatures,'' Dr Gautam Bhansali from Bombay Hospital informed the TOI.

The public health concern is that this viral disease may spread within Mumbai's 12 million residents.

Chikungunya disease was initially reported in India in 1963, and as of September 2024, every part of the country has become endemic.

The U.S. CDC stated in 2024 that the Chikungunya vaccination may be considered for certain visitors in India. The CDC recommends prospective travelers to India speak with a travel vaccine expert about Valneva SE's IXCHIQ® single-dose, live-attenuated chikungunya vaccine, at least one month before departure.

About 1.3 million U.S. travelers visited India last year.

IXCHIQ is available at various health clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.