Evidence of laboratory confirmed cases of dengue with c hikungunya co infection in 2019 at GIMS, Kalaburagi, India

Abstract

: Dengue with Chikungunya co infection is an emerging epidemic illness in the tropical countries. Incidence of both the illness is the key to taking early preventive and treatment modalities. : The present study aims to describe the incidence of Dengue with Chikungunya co infection in Kalaburagi district based on variables such as age, gender and clinical features. : It is a hospital based cross sectional observational study conducted in Government General Hospital in Kalaburagi district part of Hyderabad Karnataka region. The study was conducted at GIMS-VRDL, Department of Microbiology, Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalaburagi, Karnataka and data was analysed using Microsoft excel.Out of the total 5134 serum samples Dengue seropositive cases were 884, and Chikungunya seropositive cases were 591 and Dengue with Chikungunya co infection was 207. The percentage positivity of Dengue for the year 2019 was found to be 17.2% whereas for Chikungunya was 11.5%. 26% of the total co infected suspected cases were seropositive for Dengue with Chikungunya co infection. The average age distribution of dengue seropositive cases and that of Dengue with Chikungunya co infection was found to between 18 - 34 and 14 – 38 years respectively. Considering a p value of 0.5 there was no statistically significant difference seen in gender distribution emphasising on considering both male and female patients equally. The Dengue seropositive cases showed fever and myalgia as their primary symptoms followed by headache chills rashes and abdominal pain whereas Dengue with Chikungunya co infection cases presented with fever with arthalgia and chills as their primary symptom followed by headache, vomiting and nausea. 84% of Dengue positive cases reported to GGH were from Gulbarga city main and later followed by nearby talukas like Sedam (1%) Jewargi (1%), Afzalpur (4%), Aland (3%), Chincholi (4%), Chitapur (3%). Dengue with Chikungunya co infection seropositive cases, 88% reported from Kalaburagi city main, followed by Jewargi (2%), Sedam (2%), Chincholi (3%), Afzalpur (2%), Aland (2%), and Chitapur (1%). There were no reported casualties due to dengue during the study. : Dengue and Chikungunya are the two most important arboviral infections in the South East Asian subcontinent. India being hyper endemic with both these viral infections, diagnosis of a single viral outbreak is insufficient. Kalaburagi district of Karnataka experienced 4 outbreaks of Chikungunya in the last quarter of 2019. Also as compared to the previous two years 2018 (17.5%) and 2017 (15%) there has been an increase in positive cases as well as percentage positivity in Dengue with Chikungunya co infection in the year 2019 (26%). Diagnosis of both the illness is the need of the hour to help treat the patients and to guide the treating physician for early and appropriate primary care.