Dengue Status in a Tertiary Care Rural Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Dengue is one the most common arthropod-borne virus-transmitted disease of the tropics. Though many remains asymptomatic, a huge population gets infected with some persons leading to a serious form of the disease. As rapid urbanization allows to thrive the Aedes albopictus mosquito which is mainly involved for the transmission of the disease, seasonal outbreaks are becoming a common fact to deal Acute Febrile Illnesses year after year. Aims/Objectives: To study the epidemiology of dengue through the serological, demographic profile, regional distribution, vectors and circulating serotypes. Materials and Methods: Demographic data and presenting symptoms of fever 10476 cases reported to the clinic were recorded. Suspected patients were tested for dengue, chikungunya, scrub typhus and malaria. Dengue-specific NS1 and IgM ELISAs were performed, followed by RNA extraction, PCR and sequencing to detect circulating DENV serotypes. Results: Of the 10476 fever patients tested from July to September 2021, 2767 cases were Dengue NS1 positive, while 2624 were Dengue IgM positive. Of the 200 samples analyzed, 19.1% had concurrent infection with multiple dengue serotypes DEN 1,2 & 3; 63.8% was DEN 1, and 18.2% was DEN 2. Conclusion: Wardha is endemic to Dengue, and concurrent infections with multiple DENV serotypes have become a frequent finding in this region. The most prevalent febrile illness nowadays is Scrub typhus or Dengue Fever in the rural part of central India, which has predominantly replaced typhoid fever and malaria. They may be asymptomatic or give rise to undifferentiated fever, Dengue Fever (DF), Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF), or Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). Annually, 100 million cases of dengue fever and half a million cases of DHF occur worldwide. It is essential to know the prevalent serotype and disease pattern for better recovery of the patients. Though much research is ongoing for a new vaccine against Dengue, reaching rural India will take time and effort. Early recognition and prompt initiation of appropriate treatment are vital if disease-related morbidity and mortality are to be limited.