title: Who brings dengue into North Queensland? A descriptive, exploratory study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the demographics, patterns of assessment and treatment of people visiting a regional emergency department with potential diagnoses of malaria or dengue fever.
  
  
  METHODS
  To identify potential dengue fever cases, we used an indicator of recent overseas travel and fever that is a request for malaria testing. A chart audit of 301 medical records of people between 2008 and 2010 was conducted to describe patient characteristics, diagnostic tests performed and treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A regional hospital located in the wet tropics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Malaria testing was most often performed on Australian citizens (64.1%), medical evacuees (20.3%) and tourists (18.6%). Overall, 49.8% of patients tested for malaria did not also have a dengue test, despite being indicated in 54% of this group. People tested for malaria usually lived in a residential house or unit (69.7%). Only 9% were staying in hotels and hostels. Oceania was the most commonly visited region in the two weeks prior to presentation. Malaria was diagnosed in 17.3% and dengue fever in 12% of patients tested. Patients with dengue fever were more likely than patients with malaria to self-refer to hospital, be staying in commercial accommodation and to have recently travelled to Southeast Asia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both dengue fever and malaria occur predominantly in residents who reside in non-commercial accommodation. Efforts to identify imported dengue fever cases should focus on both tourists and local residents returning from overseas countries.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, The Faculty of Health Science, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mannestål Johansson
authors.forename: William J H
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.forename: Kajsa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Engström
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mills
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003715:Dengue / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D011793:Queensland; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014195:Travel