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Vaccine Pregnancy: §4.6 verbatim: 'Pregnancy In animal studies, no vaccine-related adverse effects on embryofetal development were observed in rats and rabbits; some postnatal effects of unknown clinical relevance were seen only in rabbits (see section 5.3). There is limited amount of data from the use of VIMKUNYA in pregnant women. These data are not sufficient to conclude on the absence of potential effects of VIMKUNYA on pregnancy, embryo-foetal development, parturition and post-natal development. Decisions to administer VIMKUNYA during pregnancy should take into consideration the individual's risk of exposure to wild-type CHIKV, gestational age, and risks to the foetus or neonate. Breast-feeding It is unknown if VIMKUNYA is excreted in human milk. A risk to the breastfed child cannot be excluded… Fertility No specific studies have been performed on fertility. Animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to female fertility.' No pregnancy category letter is assigned in the UK SPC.

Chikungunya vaccine (inactivated)

Brand names: Vimkunya

This is an inactivated chikungunya vaccine used to provide active immunisation against chikungunya virus disease in adults at risk of exposure, typically travellers to or residents of endemic areas.

Adult dose

Dose: Chikungunya vaccination, individuals 12 years of age and older — a single dose of 0.8 ml, containing 40 micrograms. §4.2 Posology quoted in full for adults: 'A single dose of 0.8 ml should be administered.' The 40 microgram strength is the product's own ('Vimkunya 40 microgram/dose'), and §4.8 records that trial participants 'received a single 40 micrograms dose of VIMKUNYA'. ELDERLY, §4.2 verbatim: 'No dose adjustment is required in elderly individuals ≥ 65 years of age.'
Route: Intramuscular injection into the deltoid muscle. §4.2 verbatim: 'The vaccine should be administered by intramuscular (IM) injection in the deltoid muscle. VIMKUNYA must not be injected intravenously, intradermally, or subcutaneously. The pre-filled syringe should be vigorously shaken immediately before use to obtain a homogeneous suspension.'
Frequency: A single dose. No booster and no second dose appears anywhere in the fetched SPC.
Max: One single dose of 0.8 ml. The SPC specifies a single dose and states no booster or repeat dose.
SCOPE — ⚠️ this record covers Vimkunya only, which is the sole brand this page names. Any other chikungunya vaccine is a different product with its own dose, schedule and age range, and must be dosed from its own SPC; nothing here transfers to one. Neither holds for this page as it stands — the page names exactly one brand, Vimkunya, and the Vimkunya UK SPC is now in the bundle, so a single product's label does serve this page. UK SCHEDULE AND ELIGIBILITY (who should be offered the vaccine, and any travel-health recommendations) sit outside this SPC and are not covered by this record. AGE LIMIT: §4.2 verbatim: 'The safety and efficacy of VIMKUNYA in children below 12 years of age have not been established. No data are available.' TIMING, §4.4 verbatim: 'Vaccination should be postponed in individuals suffering from acute severe febrile illness or acute infection. The presence of a minor infection and/or low-grade fever should not delay vaccination.' CO-ADMINISTRATION, §4.5 verbatim: 'No interaction studies with other medicinal products have been performed. Concomitant administration of VIMKUNYA with other vaccines has not been studied.' IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, §4.4 verbatim: 'The safety and efficacy of VIMKUNYA has not been assessed in patients with immunodeficiency and patients using systemic immunosuppressive therapies.' EFFECTIVENESS, §4.4 verbatim: 'As with any vaccine, protection may not be elicited after vaccination in all persons. It is recommended to continue personal protection measures against mosquito bites after vaccination.' EXCIPIENTS, §4.4: the vaccine contains less than 1 mmol potassium and less than 1 mmol sodium per dose, that is to say essentially 'potassium-free' and 'sodium-free'.

Paediatric dose

Route: Intramuscular injection into the deltoid muscle
Frequency: A single dose — 12 years and over only
Max: One single dose of 0.8 ml
FROM 12 YEARS the dose is the same single 0.8 ml (40 micrograms) intramuscular dose as for adults — §4.8 verbatim: 'Of the 3 522 clinical study participants administered VIMKUNYA, 6.2% (N = 217) were between 12 to < 18 years of age who received one dose of 40 micrograms of VIMKUNYA with a follow up of 182 days. The safety profile in adolescents is similar to the overall safety profile in adults.' BELOW 12 YEARS the vaccine is not established — §4.2 verbatim: 'The safety and efficacy of VIMKUNYA in children below 12 years of age have not been established. No data are available.' The dose is a fixed volume and is NOT weight-based, so dosePerKg is deliberately null and the weight calculator is left unset.

Dose independently re-sourced from UK Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) via the eMC — clinician-reviewed. Always confirm against the product SmPC and your local formulary before prescribing.

Contraindications

  • §4.3 quoted in full: 'Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1.'
  • Not a contraindication but a deferral, §4.4 verbatim: 'Vaccination should be postponed in individuals suffering from acute severe febrile illness or acute infection. The presence of a minor infection and/or low-grade fever should not delay vaccination.'
  • Caution rather than a contraindication, §4.4 verbatim: 'the vaccine should be given with caution to individuals receiving anticoagulant therapy or those with thrombocytopenia or any coagulation disorder (such as haemophilia) because bleeding or bruising may occur following an intramuscular injection in these individuals.'

Side effects

  • §4.8 summary: the most common local reaction was injection site pain (24.0%); the most common systemic reactions were fatigue (17.8%), headache (16.7%) and myalgia (16.5%).
  • Very common (≥1/10), §4.8: injection site pain; fatigue; headache; myalgia.
  • Common (≥1/100 to <1/10), §4.8: chills; malaise; arthralgia; nausea.
  • Uncommon (≥1/1,000 to <1/100), §4.8: injection site redness; injection site swelling; injection site bruising; pyrexia; dizziness; nasal congestion; rash.
  • Rare (≥1/10,000 to <1/1,000), §4.8: paraesthesia; pain in extremity; diarrhoea; lip swelling; lymphadenopathy; gastroenteritis; oropharyngeal pain; rhinorrhoea.
  • §4.4: potential for acute anaphylactic reaction following administration — appropriate medical treatment must be immediately available.
  • §4.4: anxiety-related reactions including vasovagal reactions (syncope), hyperventilation or stress-related reactions may occur as a psychogenic response to the needle injection.

Monitoring

  • §4.4 verbatim: 'Appropriate medical treatment used to manage immediate allergic reactions must be immediately available in the event an acute anaphylactic reaction occurs following administration of VIMKUNYA.'
  • §4.4: observe for anxiety-related and vasovagal reactions after injection — 'It is important that precautions are in place to avoid injury from fainting.'
  • §4.4 traceability verbatim: 'In order to improve the traceability of biological medicinal products, the name and the batch number of the administered product should be clearly recorded.'
  • §4.4: watch for bleeding or bruising at the injection site in individuals on anticoagulants or with thrombocytopenia or a coagulation disorder.
  • §4.4: advise continued personal protection against mosquito bites after vaccination, since protection may not be elicited in all persons.

Clinical monograph

How it works

It presents inactivated chikungunya viral antigen to the immune system to stimulate production of neutralising antibodies, providing protection without the ability to cause active infection.

Prescribing in practice

  • Contraindicated in those with a history of severe allergic reaction to a previous dose or any vaccine component, and administration should follow current national immunisation and travel-health advice.
  • As an inactivated vaccine it does not cause chikungunya infection, but it should be deferred in acute febrile illness.
  • Document the vaccine and complete any required schedule, and counsel that protection is not immediate.

Monitoring

Observe for immediate hypersensitivity after administration; no routine laboratory monitoring is required.

Counselling the patient

  • This vaccine helps protect against chikungunya, a mosquito-borne illness, for travel to affected regions.
  • Continue mosquito-bite precautions, as no vaccine gives complete protection.
  • Report any severe allergic reaction such as swelling or breathing difficulty.

Evidence & guidelines

Use should follow current MHRA product information and national travel and immunisation guidance for chikungunya vaccination.

Reference: UK Green Book; Drug verified in RxNorm (NLM); confirm dosing against the manufacturer SPC (eMC). Verify against your local formulary and current prescribing references before prescribing. The structured dose values shown have been reviewed by a clinician. Monograph status: clinician-reviewed (2026-07-04).

Related

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

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