Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan, likely stricken with dengue fever contracted in Haiti
The plans of attending and participating in the Miss America 2013 pageant are over for 2011 Miss America and Gering, Nebraska resident Teresa Scanlan after doctors told her it appears she contracted the mosquito borne viral infection, dengue fever, according to a Omaha.com report Jan. 10.
Apparently, the 19-year-old beauty queen contracted the disease while volunteering at a Haiti orphanage during the Christmas holidays.
Scanlon was scheduled to be a special correspondent at the pageant for the TMG Pageant Network.
The 2013 Miss America pageant takes place Saturday, Jan. 12 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Dengue fever is a disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses (DENV 1, DENV 2, DENV 3, or DENV 4). The viruses are transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.
The principal symptoms of dengue fever are high fever that lasts from 2 to 7 days, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle and bone pain, rash, and mild bleeding.
More serious and life threatening forms of dengue include dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS).
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