The present invention relates to vaccine formulation capable of eliciting protective immune response against Chikungunya virus infection in humans and other mammalian hosts. The immunogenic formulation comprises purified inactivated Chikungunya virus in a stable formulation. Methods of propagation and purification of the virus are discussed. The inactivated virus formulation is non-infectious, immunogenic and elicits protective immune response in mammalian host. The immunogenic composition is formulated for in vivo administration to humans. The invention also discusses the strategy of developing a subunit vaccine using the recombinant viral proteins as antigens for immunization. The recombinant virus antigens that are potentially immunogenic can be used in diagnosing for the presence of the virus.
