Foreword

The first cases of chikungunya in the Americas were reported in St Martin in December 2013. By the end of October 2014, a total of 795 448 suspected and confirmed cases had been reported in 9 Latin American and 28 Caribbean countries. This was an unprecedented epidemic, and cases continued to accrue rapidly with unusual clinical manifestations, including maternal-child transmission and significant morbidity rates and even mortality. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization decided to sponsor a scientific meeting on chikungunya.

The meeting, “Gaps and Opportunities in Chikungunya Research: Expert Consultation on Chikungunya Disease in the Americas,” was held 30 June to 2 July 2015. Its objectives were to share knowledge about chikungunya disease, epidemiology, and pathogenesis; assess the risk of chikungunya throughout the Americas; identify critical areas in knowledge, technologies, and research infrastructure needed to interrupt the epidemic; and discuss potential collaborative research opportunities to address the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and control of chikungunya disease. Topics highlighted at the meeting include vector biology; animal models, reservoirs, and ecology; clinical syndrome and pathogenesis; surveillance and differential diagnosis; strategies for control; medical countermeasures; and research funding and multinational collaborations on chikungunya. The meeting included presentations, panel discussions, small group discussions to identify and report on key research gaps, and a summary of the issues at the end of the meeting. There were 135 participants from 18 countries, with presentations from 11 countries. At the time of the meeting, >1 million chikungunya cases had been reported; as of August 2016, approximately 2 million individuals had been infected.

Since the meeting, Zika has dominated the international spotlight. However, chikungunya still poses a threat and continues to confer significant morbidity in the Americas. Therefore the scientific committee has identified key topics for inclusion in this supplement to represent the outcomes and recommendations of the meeting.

Several participants worked as a team to organize the meeting and put together this supplement. The Scientific Organizing Committee includes Barney Graham, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID; Mary Fanning, NIAID; Pilar Ramon Pardo, Pan American Health Organization; Ann Powers, Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Pat Repik, NIAID; Fabrice Simon, Laveran Military Teaching Hospital, Marseilles; Nancy Touchette, NIAID; and Sergio Dante Yactayo, World Health Organization (WHO); the Meeting Logistics Committee, Laurence Cibrelius, WHO; Elizabeth Dillard, NIAID (currently US Department of State); Andrew Ford, NIAID; Veronique Millot, WHO; Tatyana Yeremina, NIAID; and the Supplement Organization and Editing Team, April Clayton, NIAID (currently CDC); Mary Fanning, NIAID; Tami Lu, NIAID; and Nancy Touchette, NIAID.

We would like to acknowledge the efforts of all who contributed to this meeting and contributed to its success, specifically Dr James Meegan, NIAID, and Dr Sylvie Briand, WHO. We hope that the discussions and recommendations were informative and will move the field forward.

Note

Potential conflict of interest. Both authors: No reported conflicts. Both authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.