Chikungunya Virus Infection after Traveling to Surinam, South America

Abstract

Chikungunya infection is caused by an arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. A 19-year-old man who had traveled to the Republic of Surinam to perform volunteer work complained of a fever, arthralgia, articular stiffness, and a skin rash on both the arm and trunk. Chikungunya fever was diagnosed using a Chikungunya virus specific IgM antibody in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using blood samples obtained during follow-up visits. In this report, we describe a case of imported Chikungunya fever that presented with arthralgia and a skin rash, with islands of normal skin, that occurred following travel to Surinam, South America.

The first adolescent case infected with chikungunya virus in South Korea

“…Notably, in the summer of 2007, an epidemic of chikungunya fever occurred for the first time in Europe, rapidly spreading to visitors to India from Italy, resulting in approximately 200 patients (5). South Korean government designated chikungunya fever as a group 3 legal infectious disease, and the first domestic case was reported on July 29, 2013 (1,3,5). However, to the authors' knowledge, no such a pediatric case has been reported in the country (Fig.…”

“…Chikungunya fever is an infectious disease caused by chikungunya virus transmitted by mosquitoes, mostly Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus. The incubation period is generally 1-12 days; generally, it takes 3-7 days for the symptoms of this disease to appear (1). The symptoms include a sudden-onset fever during the acute phase, which lasts for 7-10 days.…”

“…In addition, arthralgia, rashes, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, myalgia, and polyarthritis may occur during the disease course. Approximately 3%-28% of infected individuals may not show symptoms (1), and in some patients, it may cause neurological complications, such as meningitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, central nervous system lesions, myocarditis, and hepatitis. Joint-related symptoms can last from 3 weeks to 3 months after the acute phase (1,2).…”