Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya: Emerging Arboviruses in the New World

West J Emerg Med. 2016 Nov;17(6):671-679. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2016.9.30904. Epub 2016 Sep 29.

Abstract

The arboviruses that cause dengue, chikungunya, and Zika illnesses have rapidly expanded across the globe in recent years, with large-scale outbreaks occurring in Western Hemisphere territories in close proximity to the United States (U.S.). In March 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) expanded its vector surveillance maps for A. aegypti and A. albopictus, the mosquito vectors for these arboviruses. They have now been shown to inhabit a larger portion of the U.S., including the heavily populated northeast corridor. Emergency physicians need to further familiarize themselves with these diseases, which have classically been considered only in returning travelers but may soon be encountered in the U.S. even in the absence of travel. In this paper, we discuss the presentation and treatment of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, as well as special challenges presented to the emergency physician in evaluating a patient with a suspected arbovirus infection.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / virology
  • Animals
  • Arboviruses*
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.
  • Chikungunya Fever / diagnosis
  • Chikungunya Fever / therapy*
  • Chikungunya virus / immunology
  • Chikungunya virus / isolation & purification
  • Dengue / diagnosis
  • Dengue / therapy*
  • Dengue Vaccines / therapeutic use
  • Dengue Virus / immunology
  • Dengue Virus / isolation & purification
  • Disease Outbreaks / prevention & control
  • Emergency Service, Hospital
  • Global Health
  • Humans
  • Physicians
  • Travel
  • United States
  • Zika Virus / immunology
  • Zika Virus / isolation & purification
  • Zika Virus Infection / diagnosis
  • Zika Virus Infection / therapy*

Substances

  • Dengue Vaccines