The three-time world champ Andy Irons seems to have contracted dengue fever and has died as he was making his way home from the ASP event in Puerto Rico.
Irons who had been too ill to compete in the event is said in media reports to have decided to return to Hawaii for treatment by his own doctors. He got as far as Dallas but was too sick to fly on and this morning Sydney time he was discovered dead in his hotel room.
According to an account in the SMH Irons had flown to Miami from Puerto Rico and had spent a couple days on a drip before insisting that he get back to his own doctor in Hawaii. He missed a connecting flight and checked into the hotel.
According to a story running in the Australian Irons was one of at least five people on the tour who have been battling “a debilitating mystery illness in the past three weeks”.
The list of affected people includes Chris Davidson, South African Travis Logie, Kelly Slater’s girlfriend Kalani Miller and Owen Wright who is quoted as saying “I almost didn’t turn up for this event myself,” he said from his hotel room in Puerto Rico. “There had been a bout of this going round from Portugal. It didn’t hit me as a surprise that Andy was sick.”
About dengue fever
Dengue fever (pronounced UK: /ˈdɛŋɡeɪ/, US: /ˈdɛŋɡiː/) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are acute febrile diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, which occur in the tropics, can be life-threatening, and are caused by four closely related virus serotypes of the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae.[1] It was identified and named in 1779. It is also known as breakbone fever, since it can be extremely painful. Unlike malaria, dengue is just as prevalent in the urban districts of its range as in rural areas. source: Wikipedia
Symptoms
Infection with the dengue virus may be subclinical (no apparent symptoms) or may cause illness ranging from a mild fever to a severe, even fatal condition, ie.dengue haemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome.
The symptoms may last up to a week. Some people may experience a resurgence of fever and other symptoms that may last another 2-3 days.
See a doctor immediately if you or anyone
in your family have any symptoms of dengueDengue fever symptoms
Symptoms are most commonly seen in adults and older children. Young children may show no symptoms. Typical symptoms may include:
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sudden onset of fever (lasting three to seven days)
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intense headache (especially behind the eyes)
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muscle and joint pain (ankles, knees and elbows)
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unpleasant metallic taste in mouth, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain
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flushed skin on face and neck, fine skin rash as fever subsides
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rash on arms and legs, severe itching, peeling of skin and hair loss
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minor bleeding (nose or gums) and heavy menstrual periods
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extreme fatigueDengue haemorrhagic fever symptoms
This is a rare complication of dengue in Australia. More commonly seen in children aged under 15 years, but can occur in adults. Symptoms include:
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same signs as dengue fever
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2-5 days after onset of fever, rapid deterioration and cardiovascular disease
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perhaps shock and sometimes death.Source: Queensland Government Health Information site</blockquote>
I just got back from the beach, so am now working through stories about it. Will update this post as I go. -Don
