| How to cite this article: Wiwanitkit S, Wiwanitkit V. Underdiagnosis of chikungunya virus infections. Ann Trop Med Public Health 2013;6:685-6 |
| How to cite this URL: Wiwanitkit S, Wiwanitkit V. Underdiagnosis of chikungunya virus infections. Ann Trop Med Public Health [serial online] 2013 [cited 2021 Mar 6];6:685-6. Available from: https://www.atmph.org/text.asp?2013/6/6/685/140271 |
Dear Sir,
Underdiagnosis of infection can be problematic in tropical medicine. The recent report on underdiagnosis of chikungunya virus infections is very interesting. [1] Reusken et al., [1] reported 6.5% of underdiagnosis of chikungunya virus infections among suspicious cases of dengue. Indeed, both dengue and chikungunya virus infections share common endemic areas and the clinical presentation of both infections are very similar. [2] The difficulty in diagnosis of infections among travelers returning from endemic areas to Europe is confirmed and the concern of practitioner is needed. [1],[2],[3] However, the same problem still exists in the endemic area. [4] Mainly, dengue infection is usually presumptive diagnosis and the missed definitive diagnosis by serological confirmation is usually practiced. [4] The use of proper diagnostic test to verify the infection among the suspicious cases is important and should be included in the routine clinical practice guideline.
| References |
| 1. | Reusken CB, Bakker J, Reimerink JH, Zelena H, Koopmans MG. Underdiagnosis of chikungunya virus infections in symptomatic dutch travelers returning from the Indian ocean area. J Travel Med 2013;20:44-6. |
| 2. | Frank C, Schöneberg I, Stark K. Trends in imported chikungunya virus infections in Germany, 2006-2009. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2011;11:631-6. |
| 3. | Wiwanitkit V. Dengue fever: Diagnosis and treatment. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2010;8:841-5. |
| 4. | Chen LH, Wilson ME. Dengue and chikungunya infections in travelers. Curr Opin Infect Dis 2010;23:438-44. |
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
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DOI: 10.4103/1755-6783.140271
