Case Series: Chikungunya and Dengue at a Forward Operating Location
Abstract
Chikungunya virus is a mosquito borne arbovirus in the genus Alphavirus. In humans, infection with chikungunya virus causes a painful but self-limiting febrile illness that is often associated with a maculopapular rash and polyarthritis. The virus can cause encephalitis, long-term (greater than 3 months) arthritis, and rarely death. There is no commercially available vaccine or antiviral treatment for chikungunya; however, experimental vaccines are under development, and the U.S. military was involved in vaccine development in the 1990s. Chikungunya epidemics are often significant because most infected people become symptomatic (72%-97%) and large portions of the population can be sick at the same time. Prior to 2013, the majority of the population of the New World had never been exposed to chikungunya and had no immunity to the virus. In recent years, U.S. military bases in the Caribbean and worldwide have been on alert for cases. The island nation of Curacao had notified the Pan American Health Organization of more than 1,800 cases of chikungunya by February 2015, with up to 20,000 reported in local media (i.e., up to 13% of the population). The epidemic of chikungunya extended to several active duty personnel located at the U.S. Forward Operating Location, 429th Expeditionary Operations Squadron in Curacao. Based on reported cases, the outbreak was the largest single cluster of chikungunya cases in USAF active duty personnel to date. This report describes a case series and discusses the significance of this disease in the Americas and diagnostic challenges when other arboviruses such as dengue are present.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA623604
Entities
People
- Cheryl L. Magnuson
- Natasha M. Rowe
- Richard K. Kugblenu
- Will K. Reeves
Organizations
- United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine