Navigating Potential Dengue and Its Mimics in a Febrile Returning Traveller: A Case Report

TL;DR

A returning traveler with dengue-like symptoms presented a diagnostic challenge, highlighting the complexities of febrile illnesses in travelers.

Contribution

The case emphasizes the importance of a balanced diagnostic approach for febrile travelers with ambiguous symptoms.

Findings

The patient exhibited dengue-like symptoms but lacked laboratory confirmation of prior infection.

The case underscores the difficulty in distinguishing dengue from other febrile illnesses in returning travelers.

It highlights the need for thorough evaluation to rule out serious tropical infections.

Abstract

Fever is a common symptom in returning travellers. This prompts healthcare providers to consider and investigate potentially serious infections requiring timely diagnosis and management. The following case describes a traveller returning from Bangladesh presenting with symptoms indicative of dengue. These include fever, rash, nausea, vomiting, myalgia and conjunctivitis. However, his symptoms defied the expected pattern of presentation, posing a diagnostic challenge. No laboratory confirmation of prior dengue infection was available. He was discharged as having a viral fever with a rash and the possibility that this was a secondary infection occurring after dengue. The case highlights the complexity of febrile travellers. It also reviews the literature on dengue, offering important learning opportunities for clinicians encountering comparable presentations. The case emphasises the need for a balanced diagnostic approach in thoroughly ruling out serious tropical infections without neglecting common community-acquired viruses.