| acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreak caused by coxsackievirus a24--puerto rico, 2003. | acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (ahc) is an epidemic form of highly contagious conjunctivitis and is characterized by sudden onset of painful, swollen, red eyes, with conjunctival hemorrhaging and excessive tearing. since 1981, when ahc was first detected in the western hemisphere, three major epidemics had occurred until 2003, all affecting the caribbean. during august-october 2003, a fourth epidemic occurred in puerto rico (2000 population: 3.8 million). this report summarizes the outbreak in ... | 2004 | 15269699 |