Researchers at IIT Roorkee find a possible medication to cure chikungunya and other illnesses spread by mosquitoes.

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have found a possible medication that may be used to treat chikungunya, a virus spread by mosquitoes that causes fever, rash, joint discomfort, and muscular pain.

Efavirenz, a medication often used to treat HIV, has been demonstrated to decrease Chikungunya virus replication in vitro and in mouse models, suggesting that it could be a useful treatment for Chikungunya sickness, according to IIT Roorkee.

The results are from a study that was funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and carried out at IIT Roorkee. Efavirenz was found to lower viral levels in both a model of infected mice and lab-grown cell cultures. With instances documented in several states annually, chikungunya is a persistent public health issue in India, according to the National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control. Furthermore, no antiviral medication has been approved expressly to treat chikungunya.