A Case Report of Chikungunya Versus Dengue During an Acute Outbreak of Dengue Fever in The Solomon Islands, 2013

The presence of both dengue fever and chikungunya in Pacific Island jurisdictions, as well as other developing settings, such as Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and South America, as well as sub-Saharan Africa, is increasingly common, as is illustrated by this case study from the Solomon Islands in 2013. Given such, it is increasingly important the medical and clinical officers, as well as ancillary staff, such as nursing and laboratory staff, be able to differentiate between the two conditions, given that while chikungunya can be serious, recovery is generally unremarkable; whereas, dengue fever can have serious, life-threatening complications. This case report presents a typical patient presenting during a dengue outbreak in the Solomon Islands in 2013, which was misdiagnosed as dengue fever, given the similar signs of the two diseases, but who in actuality had the first recorded case of chikungunya in the Solomon Islands. The monograph concludes by making recommendations for additional education of clinical personnel to differentiate between the two diseases for both clinical as well as epidemiological reasons.

Keywords: dengue, chikungunya, Solomon Islands, epidemiology, outbreak, infectious diseases, laboratory diagnosis, haemorrhagic fever, tropical medicine, fevers of unknown origin.