Global burden of chikungunya virus infections and the potential benefit of vaccination campaigns

The first vaccine against chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has now been licensed; however, due to a limited knowledge of the underlying global burden, its potential to reduce disease burden remains unknown. We used data from seroprevalence studies, observed cases and mosquito distributions to quantify the underlying CHIKV burden in 180 countries and territories, and we explored the potential impact of vaccination campaigns. We estimate that 104 countries have experienced CHIKV transmission, covering 2.8 billion people, and that, in epidemic settings, the mean duration between outbreaks is 6.2 years, with 8.4% of the susceptible population infected per outbreak. Globally, there are 35 million annual infections, mainly…

• CF
  Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
• EC
  European Commission

  Awards: EU4Health, 101102733, 2021-2027
• ÉD
  École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique