Editors



Current Editors: Fareen Momin and Jane Onyemachi

(Please email editors if there is blog-worthy news that you would like to see shared)

Past Editors: Andrea Francis, Renat Ahatov, Michael Phan, Elise Weisert, Michael Ryan, Keith Wagner, Tim Allen, Kristyna Gleghorn, Dung Mac, Alex Acosta, William Tausend, Sheila Jalalat, Rebecca Philips, Chelsea Altinger, Lindsey Hunter, Alison Wiesenthal, Leslie Scroggins, Mara Dacso, Ashley Group, Fadi Constantine, Emily Fridlington, Joslyn Witherspoon, Tasneem Poonawalla.

Saturday, March 01, 2014

Chikungunya In Galveston?


No US acquired cases of Chikungunya have been reported, but this mosquito born infection is already present in the Caribbean and experts warn it could spread to Texas because our warm climate supports the mosquitoes known to transmit this virus (http://www.chron.com/life/healthzone/article/Texas-arrival-of-new-mosquito-borne-virus-called-5270667.php ). A few tourists to endemic areas have reportedly been infected.  There are skin manifestations of this infection, so dermatologists may play a role in detecting this disease
( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18211486 ). Since there is no vaccine at present, the key to avoiding infection is avoiding mosquitoes (primary prevention). This is generally a good plan anyway, because mosquito borne diseases such as West Nile are already know to be present in Texas.