Question

A photographer who recently returned from Africa presents to the emergency department with abdominal pain, hepatomegaly, and hemorrhagic manifestations. He died despite treatment, and an autopsy revealed intranuclear Torres bodies in the liver. Which of the following vaccines with which strain could have prevented it?

• A. 17D
• B. Nakayama vaccine
• C. Weigl’s vaccine
• D. Jeryl Lynn strain

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The scenario presented in the question describes a case of a hemorrhagic fever. Given the symptoms of abdominal pain, hepatomegaly, and hemorrhagic manifestations in a photographer returning from Africa, along with the postmortem finding of intranuclear Torres bodies in the liver, this is indicative of an infection caused by a flavivirus, specifically Yellow Fever.

Yellow Fever is endemic to Africa, and its prevention is contingent on the administration of the 17D vaccine. The 17D strain is a live-attenuated virus vaccine that provides immunity against the Yellow Fever virus, making it crucial for travelers to endemic regions.

Let's examine the options:

• 17D: This is the correct vaccine for prevention against Yellow Fever, responsible for the described symptoms.
• Nakayama vaccine: This vaccine is used to prevent Japanese Encephalitis, unrelated to the symptoms described.
• Weigl’s vaccine: A vaccine developed historically for typhus; it does not apply to the current situation.
• Jeryl Lynn strain: This is a strain used in the Mumps vaccine, irrelevant to the described case.

Conclusively, the 17D vaccine would have been the preventive measure against the Yellow Fever, potentially averting the fatal outcome described in the scenario.