Chikungunya Infection Can Change Your Quality of Life

Many international travelers return from Caribbean Island or South America vacations wondering why they have felt off for weeks and not knowing if previous mosquito bites transmitted the Chikungunya virus.

To answer that question, a cross-sectional and comparative study was conducted in Brazil to evaluate the impact of chronic illness caused by chikungunya fever on affected individuals' quality of life and functionality.

In this Original Article, published on September 24, 2024, researchers concluded that 'Even one year after the acute phase, chikungunya fever can compromise the functionality and quality of life in affected individuals, with direct impairment in performing daily activities.'

Significant differences in functional capacity and quality of life were observed between the Chikungunya and Healthy Groups. The finding highlights are as follows:

Even after a year, chikungunya fever-affected people experience damage to their physical and mental health,

Positive screening for depression risk was 13.5 times more likely in chronically affected and

Patients with chronic chikungunya fever had a 76 times higher risk of walking impairments.

The chance of some functional impairment was also much higher in the Chikungunya Group in four of the HAQ categories, especially in the "walking" category (adjusted OR= 109.40).

Further, the Chikungunya Group had a higher chance of presenting a below-average score in the mental component summary of the SF-12 (adjusted OR= 16.20) and of being positive in depression risk screening (adjusted OR= 34.57).

With close to 400,000 Chikungunya cases and 177 related fatalities already confirmed in the Region of the Americas in 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages travelers to protect themselves from this disease by getting vaccinated.

As of October 8, 2024, the CDC says when visiting Brazil, Chikungunya vaccination may be considered for people aged 65 years or older, especially those with underlying medical conditions, who may spend at least two weeks in indoor or outdoor areas where mosquitoes are present in Brazil, or people planning to stay in Brazil for a cumulative period of six months or more.

In the U.S., Valneva SE's U.S. FDA-approved IXCHIQ® monovalent, single-dose Chikungunya vaccine is offered at travel clinics and pharmacies.