A cluster of dengue cases in American missionaries returning from Haiti, 2010.
Dengue is an acute febrile illness caused by four mosquito-borne dengue viruses (DENV-1 to -4) that are endemic throughout the tropics. After returning from a 1-week missionary trip to Haiti in October of 2010, 5 of 28 (18%) travelers were hospitalized for dengue-like illness. All travelers were invited to submit serum specimens and complete questionnaires on pre-travel preparations, mosquito avoidance practices, and activities during travel. DENV infection was confirmed in seven (25%) travelers, including all travelers that were hospitalized. Viral sequencing revealed closest homology to a 2007 DENV-1 isolate from the Dominican Republic. Although most (88%) travelers had a pre-travel healthcare visit, only one-quarter knew that dengue is a risk in Haiti, and one-quarter regularly used insect repellent. This report confirms recent DENV transmission in Haiti. Travelers to DENV-endemic areas should receive dengue education during pre-travel health consultations, follow mosquito avoidance recommendations, and seek medical care for febrile illness during or after travel.
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Tyler M
TM
Sharp
Parvathy
P
Pillai
Elizabeth
E
Hunsperger
Gilberto A
GA
Santiago
Teresa
T
Anderson
Trina
T
Vap
Jeremy
J
Collinson
Bryan F
BF
Buss
Thomas J
TJ
Safranek
Mark J
MJ
Sotir
Emily S
ES
Jentes
Jorge L
JL
Munoz-Jordan
D Fermin
DF
Arguello
D000330:Aedes; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003715:Dengue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D055866:Earthquakes; D005845:Georgia; D006205:Haiti; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D066189:Missionaries; D009329:Nebraska; D008921:Religious Missions; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel