title: Chikungunya fever in Los Angeles, California.
abstract: We report the case of a 33-year-old woman returning from Haiti, presenting to our emergency department (ED) with fever, rash and arthralgia. Following a broad workup that included laboratory testing for dengue and malaria, our patient was diagnosed with Chikungunya virus, which was then reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for initiation of infection control. This case demonstrates the importance of the ED for infectious disease case identification and initiation of public health measures. This case also addresses public health implications of Chikungunya virus within the United States, and issues related to the potential for local spread and autochthonous cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Katherine R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Harter
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhatt
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Hyung T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: William K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Mallon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006205:Haiti; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D014195:Travel