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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Global warming is pushing tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and chikungunya into new territories, according to Bavarian Nordic's CEO. TBE is creeping northward through Germany and into Scandinavia, while chikungunya — once confined to Asia and South America — is establishing a foothold in Europe and the U.S. The trend is driving a surge in vaccine demand for both diseases.
Global warming is reshaping the infectious disease landscape, and two vector-borne viruses are making alarming geographic leaps. Bavarian Nordic CEO Paul Chaplin warned that rising temperatures and milder winters are expanding tick populations, pushing tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) northward from its traditional stronghold in southern Germany into Scandinavia. Meanwhile, chikungunya — a mosquito-borne illness historically limited to Asia and South America — is increasingly threatening Europe and the United States, with locally acquired cases already reported in France this year.
The shift is translating into real vaccine demand. Bavarian Nordic's chikungunya vaccine Vimkunya (approved in the U.S. and EU in February 2025) saw sales skyrocket 415% in Q2, while its TBE vaccine Encepur posted 58% revenue growth. Chaplin cautioned that chikungunya becoming endemic in southern Europe — and eventually the U.S. — is likely "only a matter of time."
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: As climate change expands the habitats of disease-carrying ticks and mosquitoes, infections once considered regional are becoming global health threats — putting pressure on public health systems to expand vaccination programs and surveillance into newly affected areas.
