Chikungunya virus-associated death in Malaysia.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus which causes fever, rash, and arthralgia. In the past, life-threatening complications were very rarely reported. However, during the recent worldwide outbreaks, there have been several reports of unusually severe complications and deaths. Malaysia is experiencing a nationwide outbreak of CHIKV, with over 10 000 patients affected since April 2008. We report the first case of culture-confirmed CHIKV-associated death in Malaysia, in a patient with fever, rash, acute exacerbation of pre-existing heart failure, rhabdomyolysis, and multiple organ failure. CHIKV infections may cause atypical, severe or fatal presentations.
Sam
I C
IC
Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre, Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia. jicsam@um.edu.my
Kamarulzaman
A
A
Ong
G S Y
GS
Veriah
R S
RS
Ponnampalavanar
S
S
Chan
Y F
YF
AbuBakar
S
S
D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D065632:Chikungunya Fever; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000235:genetics; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010802:Phylogeny