Increased risk of chikungunya infection in travellers to Thailand during ongoing outbreak in tourist areas: cases imported to Europe and the Middle East, early 2019

Euro Surveill. 2019 Mar;24(10):1900146. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.10.1900146.

Abstract

We report nine travellers with confirmed chikungunya virus infection, returning from tourist areas of Thailand to Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Romania, Israel and France, diagnosed in January and February 2019. These sentinel tourists support the intensification of chikungunya virus circulation in Thailand and highlight the potential for importation to areas at risk of local transmission.

Keywords: Thailand; chikungunya; importation; outbreak; travellers.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones / therapeutic use
  • Adult
  • Aedes / virology*
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / therapeutic use
  • Arthralgia / drug therapy
  • Arthralgia / etiology
  • Chikungunya Fever / diagnosis*
  • Chikungunya Fever / drug therapy
  • Chikungunya Fever / epidemiology
  • Chikungunya virus / isolation & purification*
  • Dengue / epidemiology
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Europe
  • Fever / drug therapy
  • Fever / etiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Middle East
  • Mosquito Vectors
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sentinel Surveillance*
  • Thailand / epidemiology
  • Travel*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal