Rwanda: €15m Vaccine Clinical Trial On Mosquito-Borne Viral Disease Launched

A new multicountry initiative has been launched in Kigali to accelerate the development of a vaccine against chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease often mistaken for malaria due to its similar symptoms.

Health experts describe chikungunya as a growing public health threat.

From June 8 to 10, experts from Africa and other parts of the world have gathered at the University of Rwanda headquarters for the launch of the Accelerating Clinical Trials for Chikungunya Vaccine (ACT-CHIK) Project.

The four-year initiative is expected to support clinical trials in Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal for chikungunya vaccine to contribute to global health outcomes. Other partners in this initiative include Brazil through its institution FIOCRUZ and South Korea through international vaccine institute for vaccination manufacturing and project sponsor respectively.

The project has received €15.3 million from the Global Health European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership 3 (EDCTP3) Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon Europe programme.

Prof. Léon Mutesa, Director of the Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Rwanda, said the ACT-CHIK consortium brings together researchers and institutions from Africa, Europe, South America and Asia to accelerate vaccine development and strengthen clinical trial capacity on the continent.

He said chikungunya is often misdiagnosed because its symptoms, including fever, headache, joint pain and stiffness, are similar to those of malaria, dengue and Zika.

"Many cases may go undetected because health workers are dealing with diseases that present similar symptoms," he said.

Prof. Mutesa highlighted a 2024 Rwanda study which found that about 69 per cent of sampled individuals were seropositive for chikungunya, indicating previous exposure to the virus. He noted that seropositivity does not necessarily mean illness, as infections can occur without symptoms.

The project builds on earlier studies by Institut Pasteur on a chikungunya vaccine candidate based on a measles-virus platform (MV-CHIK vaccine).

Over the next four years, researchers will conduct Phase Ib/III clinical trials (early safety and large-scale effectiveness studies) involving adults, adolescents and children in Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal.

Prof. Mutesa said Rwanda was selected to lead the consortium's work package five "Scientific Leardership" after successfully competing for the role, underscoring the country's growing investment in research and vaccine manufacturing.

Rwanda has shown a strong commitment to developi