Chikungunya virus-associated death in Malaysia

I. C. Sam, A. Kamarulzaman, G. S.Y. Ong, R. S. Veriah, S. Ponnampalavanar, Y. F. Chan, S. AbuBakar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus which causes fever, rash, and arthralgia. In the past, life-threatening complications were very rarely reported. However, during the recent worldwide outbreaks, there have been several reports of unusually severe complications and deaths. Malaysia is experiencing a nationwide outbreak of CHIKV, with over 10 000 patients affected since April 2008. We report the first case of culture-confirmed CHIKV-associated death in Malaysia, in a patient with fever, rash, acute exacerbation of pre-existing heart failure, rhabdomyolysis, and multiple organ failure. CHIKV infections may cause atypical, severe or fatal presentations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)343-347
Number of pages5
JournalTropical Biomedicine
Volume27
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 2010
Externally publishedYes

Cite this