Chikungunya: important lessons from the Jamaican experience.

Objectives: To describe the clinical presentation of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) illness in adults during the 2014 outbreak in Jamaica and to determine the predictive value of the case definition.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using clinical data from suspected cases of CHIKV that were reported to the Ministry of Health in April - December 2014. In addition, charts were reviewed of all individuals over 15 years of age with suspected CHIKV based on a diagnosis of CHIKV or "acute viral illness" that presented to four major health centers in Jamaica during the week prior to and the peak week of the epidemic.

Autoimmune hepatitis in a Jamaican cohort spanning 40 years.

Background: The prevalence and characteristics of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) in black populations are not well documented.

Objectives: To describe the clinical and laboratory features of AIH in patients presenting at a Jamaican hospital, 1969-2009.

Methods: A retrospective review of hospital records was done and patients were classified by the revised international scoring system.

Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia and dengue virus co-infection and review of implications of coinfection.

Dengue fever is an important public health problem in Jamaica and has various serious manifestations, which if not identified and treated at the appropriate time can lead to dire consequences. Bacterial co-infections have been seen in clinical practice but may be thought of as simply coincidental. This review highlights the importance of bacteria in exacerbating dengue infections and the importance of looking for co-infection in patients with certain clinical manifestations.