Health authorities announced on Saturday that they were withdrawing people aged 65 and over from the chikungunya vaccination campaign using the Ixchiq vaccine in Mayotte and Réunion after three "serious adverse events," including one death.
"Vaccination remains open to people aged 18 to 64 with comorbidities," the Ministry of Health stated in a press release, as the chikungunya epidemic has so far caused the deaths of nine people in Reunion Island.
The health authorities' decision comes after they were informed on April 23 of two "serious adverse events," including one death, and then a third on April 25.
"Given the seriousness of these events, the Directorate General of Health (DGS) urgently contacted the HAS on April 24 to re-evaluate the indications for vaccination against chikungunya using the Ixchiq vaccine" from Valneva, the Ministry of Health specified.
Following the French High Authority for Health (HAS)'s decision on Friday to revise vaccination targets, health authorities have decided to remove from the vaccination target, "without delay, people aged 65 and over, whether or not they have comorbidities."
The three serious adverse events occurred in Réunion Island in people over 80 years old with comorbidities, the Ministry of Health said. "Two people presented symptoms similar to those of a severe form of chikungunya a few days after vaccination, one of whom died. The third was discharged from hospital," the same source added.
On April 17, the drug agency announced "enhanced monitoring" of possible post-vaccination side effects with the Ixchiq vaccine.
Chikungunya, an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted by the tiger mosquito, causes a high fever and joint pain that can last for several weeks.
Faced with a widespread and major epidemic in Reunion Island, health authorities launched a vaccination campaign on the island in early April. The vaccine used, Ixchiq, from the Valneva laboratory, is the first against chikungunya to have obtained marketing authorization in Europe.
The provisional death toll from the chikungunya epidemic in Réunion Island stands at nine, according to health authorities, who emphasize that the epidemic is "stabilizing at a high level," according to figures released Wednesday.
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