Amy Vittor

OVERVIEW: What every practitioner needs to know Are you sure your patient has chikungunya fever? What should you expect to find? Chikungunya is an acute febrile illness transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Most infected patients are symptomatic. Infection should be suspected in a returning traveler or contact with a returning traveler from Southeast Asia, Sub-saharan…

OVERVIEW: What every clinician needs to know Virus name and classification Zika virus, genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae What is the best treatment? No specific therapies or vaccines currently exist.Treatment is supportive. For mild disease, symptoms can be alleviated with analgesics and antipyretics.Zika infection may be associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities in…

OVERVIEW: What every practitioner needs to know Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that usually causes a self-limited febrile illness, but can give rise to dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. There are currently no specific treatments, though a vaccine was recently licensed for use in limited countries. Dengue’s geographic range is ever-increasing, with…