Bored Review: 1/20/2015…environmental but not a snakebite.

Whew! We made it to the last week of Environmental Emergencies. I thought that it would never end.

A terrified government worker who frequently receives threatening mail with strange powder in it presents with a rash accompanied by fever. The rash has been present for 4 days. What features of simple chickenpox (from his unimmunized child) differentiate it from a more concerning rash (such as smallpox)?

Answer
Simple! The lesions of chicken pox (variCELLA), appear to be crops of lesions in various stages- some are new, some are scabbed, and some are healing. The lesions of smallpox, (variOLA MAJOR), appear to be in the same stage. As well, a patient with smallpox will appear very very very ill.

 

RIVERS 2014.

By: Andy Grock and Sally Bogoch

The views expressed on this blog are the author's own and do not reflect the views of their employer. Please read our full disclaimer here. Any references to clinical cases refer to patients treated at a virtual hospital, Janus General Hospital.