1/3. Chikungunya fever diagnosed among international travelers--united states, 2005-2006.chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus indigenous to tropical africa and asia, where it is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes, usually of the genus aedes. Chikungunya (CHIK) fever, the disease caused by CHIKV, was first recognized in epidemic form in East africa during 1952-1953. The word "chikungunya" is thought to derive from description in local dialect of the contorted posture of patients afflicted with the severe joint pain associated with this disease. Because CHIK fever epidemics are sustained by human-mosquito-human transmission, the epidemic cycle is similar to those of dengue and urban yellow fever. Large outbreaks of CHIK fever have been reported recently on several islands in the indian ocean and in India. In 2006, CHIK fever cases also have been reported in travelers returning from known outbreak areas to europe, canada, the Caribbean (martinique), and south america (French guyana). During 2005-2006, 12 cases of CHIK fever were diagnosed serologically and virologically at CDC in travelers who arrived in the united states from areas known to be epidemic or endemic for CHIK fever. This report describes four of these cases and provides guidance to health-care providers. Clinicians should be alert for additional cases among travelers, and public health officials should be alert to evidence of local transmission of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), introduced through infection of local mosquitoes by a person with viremia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = island (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/3. Blisters, pruritus, and fever after bites by the Arabian tick ornithodoros (Alectorobius) muesebecki.A biologist was bitten by ornithodoros (Alectorobius) muesebecki Hoogstraal, an endemic tick parasite of nesting and resting marine birds on islands in eastern arabia. Irritating bullae developed and for four months he experienced intermittent inflammation and irritation. Two years earlier, after being bitten by the same tick species on a different island, he had experienced only irritation lasting no more than a fortnight. petroleum-industry labourers on another island were admitted to hospital for about two weeks with bullae at numerous bite sites, intense pruritus, headache, and fever. Zirqu virus (bunyaviridae, nairovirus) has been isolated from O. (A.) muesebecki samples from Abu Dhabi. The role of Zirqa virus and/or of salivary toxins in producing irritation and illness, as well as individual sensitivity to the tick and the seasonal dynamics of toxicity or infectivity, should be investigated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = island (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/3. Epidemic polyarthritis (Ross River) virus infection in the Cook islands.An epidemic of ross river virus infection occurred in the Cook islands early in 1980 and affected the majority of the inhabitants of Rarotonga, the most populated island in the group. This represents the easternmost extension of the virus which, until 1979, was believed limited to australia, new guinea, and the Solomon islands. The clinical manifestations of Ross River disease, predominantly polyarthritis, did not differ significantly from those observed previously in australia. However, unlike the experience in australia, where ross river virus has never been isolated from a patient with polyarthritis, the agent was recovered from the serum of one-half of approximately 100 such patients with serologically proven infections. It is not known if this latter observation is the result of a change in the virus, the different virus isolation technique employed, or other factors. It was found that the incubation period of the disease could be as short as 3 days--much less than previously suspected. ross river virus was isolated from six pools of aedes polynesiensis mosquitoes collected in nature and it appeared that this species was the most probable vector on Rarotonga. In view of the widespread distribution of Ae. polynesiensis on islands, in the eastern Pacific it would not be surprising if ross river virus occurs in other previously unaffected areas in the future.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = island (Clic here for more details about this article) |