title: Congenital and Neonatal Chikungunya in Colombia.
abstract: In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), chikungunya (CHIK) viral infection has emerged as a significant arboviral disease. This rapidly expanding vector-borne viral illness is associated with a substantial burden of disease in terms of acute illness and also in terms of long-term sequelae. In addition, this viral pathogen has the ability to impact different populations including pregnant women and newborns. Despite the growing threat of this arboviral infection to the region, there are insufficient reports or studies attempting to delineate the clinical and epidemiological features of congenital and neonatal cases of CHIK in LAC. In this study, we present a case of congenital CHIK and a case of neonatal CHIK infection identified in Santander, Colombia. We discuss the potential neurological impact and sequelae of CHIK infection acquired during the neonatal period. There is an urgent need for further epidemiological and clinical studies to better understand the impact of CHIK in endemic areas in LAC.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Unit, Department of Pediatrics Organización Latinoamericana para el Fomento de la Investigación en Salud, Bucaramanga, Santander.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Alvarado-Socarras
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroimaging.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ocampo-González
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Vargas-Soler
authors.affiliation: Organización Latinoamericana para el Fomento de la Investigación en Salud, Bucaramanga, Santander Public Health and Infection Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Morales
authors.affiliation: Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Albany, Georgia Hospital Infantil de Mexico, Federico Gomez.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franco-Paredes
mesh_terms: D017691:Caribbean Region; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002646:Chikungunya virus; D003105:Colombia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007843:Latin America; D011247:Pregnancy
keywords: Colombia; Latin America; chikungunya; congenital; neonatal