A 12-Year-Old Returning Traveler with Fever, Retro-orbital Headache and Rash

Introduction

Dengue fever (DF) is the most frequently occurring mosquito-borne viral disease worldwide. Approximately 2.5 billion people live in dengue endemic countries (WHO, Dengue: guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control – New Edition 2009; 1: 1–160), while 390 million are affected by dengue virus infection yearly (Bhatt S et al., Nature 2013; 496: 504–507). Autochthonous cases reported in Europe demonstrate that the disease spreads rapidly and it is no longer solely a tropical disease (Elling R et al., Pediatr Infect Dis J 2013; 32: 1020–1022)(WHO, Dengue: guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control – New Edition 2009; 1: 1–160). Travelers play an essential role in the global epidemiology of dengue infections (WHO, Dengue: guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control – New Edition 2009; 1: 1–160). As the disease might be easily underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed particularly in nonendemic areas, it is important to suspect dengue fever in returning travelers presenting with an acute febrile illness.