The global epidemiology of chikungunya from 1999 to 2020: A systematic literature review to inform the development and introduction of vaccines
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010069
- PMID
- 35020717
- PMCID
- PMC8789145
- OpenAlex
- W4205416089
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings highlight global spread of chikungunya since 2004 and emphasize that unpredictable outbreaks complicate vaccine efficacy trial design, supporting the need for improved understanding of disease dynamics and long-term population immunity to guide vaccine development and introduction.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
We characterized the global epidemiology of chikungunya from 1999 to 2020 through a systematic literature review intended to inform vaccine development and introduction.
Study design
A systematic literature review searching MEDLINE and additional public domain sources up to June 13, 2020, with descriptive analyses of included observational studies and exclusion of non-primary data sources.
Population and setting
The review covered evidence from 45 countries with outbreak reports and 31 countries with seroprevalence studies across Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas, and Europe.
Main findings
Of 3,883 relevant sources, 371 were eligible, with 46% published after 2016; the review retrieved 97 outbreak reports and 50 seroprevalence studies, documenting multiple but sporadic and unpredictable outbreaks. Substantial gaps in granular incidence and age-specific infection rate data were identified, along with heterogeneous methodologies that lack standardization.
Public-health relevance
The findings highlight global spread of chikungunya since 2004 and emphasize that unpredictable outbreaks complicate vaccine efficacy trial design, supporting the need for improved understanding of disease dynamics and long-term population immunity to guide vaccine development and introduction.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and bibliographic metadata; the original paper is required for decision-grade interpretation, as the abstract itself does not enumerate specific limitations beyond noting gaps in granular epidemiological data and methodological heterogeneity.
GIDS interpretation
For GIDS context only: the review aggregates global chikungunya outbreak and seroprevalence literature and may assist indexers in locating consolidated epidemiological evidence to support vaccine-related discoverability; no connection to a live surveillance signal is made.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 8 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.