Millán Ramón, Thomas-Paulose Deepti, Egan Daniel J.
Global Health Division, Emergency Department, Mount Sinai St. Luke's/Mount Sinai West, New York, NY.
Fellowship Director, Global Health Division, Emergency Department, Mount Sinai St. Luke's/Mount Sinai West, New York, NY.
Emerg Med Pract. 2018 May;20(5):1-20. Epub 2018 May 1.
With population shifts, increased travel, and climate change, the spread of emerging and re-emerging infections is increasing. Although encountering a patient with an emerging infection on any given emergency department shift is unlikely, missing a diagnosis could have profound consequences for the patient, healthcare workers, and the patient's close contacts. This review provides a framework to evaluate, diagnose, and treat a returning traveler with suspected Middle East respiratory syndrome, chikungunya virus, or Zika virus-3 recently emerged infections. All may present with nonspecific viral-like symptoms and are easily missed if an appropriate travel history is not obtained. A high level of vigilance and proper disposition will enable the emergency clinician to effectively diagnose, manage, and contain these diseases.
