Emergence of Dengue as a Febrile Illness in Rewa and Nearby Districts of Madhya Pradesh During the Year, 2021: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Dengue is a mosquito borne viral disease, found in tropical and subtropical countries. Dengue virus (DENV) infected mosquitoes of Aedes species are crucial for the transmission of disease. It has emerged as a threat to the public health systems. Dengue is endemic in many parts of India but still the status of dengue cases in Rewa Madhya Pradesh is not reported convincingly. Aim: To investigate the presence of dengue in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology at Shyam Shah Medical college Rewa under National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India, including 1113 Outpatient/Inpatient Department samples received during March 2021 to October 2021. Blood samples were collected from patients having febrile illness and after serum separation, serum were subjected to NS1 Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were applied for data analysis. Results: A total of 1113 sample were received and tested for dengue NS1 out of that 108 sample were found NS1 positive by ELISA. The cases of dengue started from the month of July 2021. But in the month of October dengue positivity was highest in number. Dengue cases reported were 297 (6.73%) in the rainy season (July-August), but the dengue positivity increased (713, 9.3%) in the post rainy season (September-October). Overall prevalence of dengue was higher in the 21-30 years (34.3%) age group followed by 11-20 years (24.1%), 31-40 years (18.5%), 41-50 years (18.5%), 51-60 years (7.4%) and >60 years (3.70%) age groups with respect to total positive cases. The prevalence of dengue was higher in male (12.94%) in comparison to females (5.54%). Conclusion: This study warrants the dengue virus infection as one of the important causes of fever during rainy and post rainy season in this region. Early diagnosis and reporting of cases are important for the better management of disease.