title: Epidemiology, Clinical and Laboratory Features and Course of Chikungunya among a Cohort of Children during the First Caribbean Epidemic.
abstract: This study describes the epidemiology, the clinical features and the course of confirmed chikungunya among a cohort of children. It is a prospective audit of chikungunya cases among children registered for routine medical care at a primary care center. Children presenting with suspected chikungunya were confirmed using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. There were 203 suspected cases of chikungunya; of these, 115 samples were tested and 69 (59.0%) were confirmed. The attack rate of chikungunya was 10.2% and 3.5% for the suspected and confirmed cases, respectively. Only six (8.7%) of the children with confirmed chikungunya required hospitalization. Joint pain was a clinical feature in 68 of 69 (98.6%) and skin rash was seen in 32 (46.4%) confirmed cases. The duration of illness was <2 weeks in 89.9% and less than a week in 62.3% of cases. In conclusion, most children had mild clinical manifestations and recovered fully within 2 weeks.
authors: Faculty of Medical Science, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados alokkumar.uwichill@gmail.com alok.kumar@cavehill.uwi.edu.|The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados.|We Care Medical Center, 30 A, George Street, St. Michael, Barbados.
authors: Alok
authors: A
authors: Kumar
authors: Faculty of Medical Science, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados.|The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Best
authors: The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados.
authors: Gemma
authors: G
authors: Benskin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001460:Barbados / Q000453:epidemiology; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D058872:Epidemics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Caribbean.; chikungunya; children; clinical features