Abstract
ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the incidences of dengue-like illness (DLI), dengue virus (DENV) infection, and serotypes and to identify socio-demographical and entomological risk factors of DLI in selected suburban and rural communities in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and in Thailand.MethodsA two-year longitudinal study was conducted in four villages during the inter-epidemic period between 2011 and 2013. Entomological surveys, semi-structured interviews of household heads and observations were conducted. Occurrences of DLI were recorded weekly using the World Health Organization’s dengue definition along with blood samples; results were compared with national surveillance dengue data. Risk factors of DLI were assessed using logistic regression.ResultsAmong the 2007 people in the study, 83 DLI cases were reported: 69 in suburban Lao People's Democratic Republic, 11 in rural Thailand, three in rural Lao People's Democratic Republic and none in suburban Thailand. Four were confirmed DENV: two from suburban Lao People's Democratic Republic (both DENV-1) and two from rural Thailand (both DENV-2). Although the number of detected DLIs during the study period was low, DLI incidence was higher in the study compared to the dengue surveillance data in both countries. DLI in suburban Lao People's Democratic Republic was associated with age and occupation, but not with the number of pupae per person.DiscussionThis study highlights the importance of continuous clinical and vector surveillance for dengue to improve early detection of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases in the region.
Highlights
East Asia, one of the largest outbreaks ever recorded occurred in 2010,1–3 during which 22 929 cases and 46 deaths were recorded in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,[2] and 116 947 cases and 139 deaths in Thailand.[4]
Two entomological indices derived from the entomological survey, pupae per household and pupae per person were used as potential risk factors for dengue-like illness (DLI).[24]
The population densities in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic villages based on the room occupancy were more than 2.5 persons per habitable room, which was higher than the Thai sites
Summary
This study aimed to determine the incidences of dengue-like illness (DLI), dengue virus (DENV) infection, and serotypes and to identify socio-demographical and entomological risk factors of DLI in selected suburban and rural communities in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and in Thailand. In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and in Thailand, the number of cases peak during the rainy season, generally between May and October.[1,4] Dengue vector control in affected settings mainly relies on integrated vector management as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).[9] A widely occurring challenge for effective mosquito control using the larvicide temephos is the widespread belief that it is harmful due to its smell.[10] Another challenge is insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti, the main dengue vector,[11] which has been a Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway. The aims of this study were to assess the incidence and risk factors of DLI and to identify dengue infections in relation to socio-demographic characteristics and mosquito pupal indices in selected study sites of both countries during an inter-epidemic period
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