Incidence Rate of Dengue Fever in Saudi Arabia 2011-2018, a Retrospective

Abstract

Background: Dengue fever is the most unexpectedly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease inside the world. In the last 50 years, incidence rate has accelerated 30-fold with growing geographic expansion to new nations and, in the gift decade from urban to rural settings. Method: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the magnitude of dengue fever in Saud Arabia. Secondary data was collected from the statistical books from 2011 – 2018, the incidence rate per 100,000 persons was calculated and analyzed .The variables collected included age, sex, nationality and incidence rate distribution by years, month and cities. Results: The result indicates that the incidence rate of dengue fever was comparatively low in the year 2012 and 2014 than in other years. The number of dengue fever cases started to rise in January, reach its peak between April, May and June. Incidence rate of non-Saudis was greater than that of Saudis, males were more affected than females. Also, the look at indicates that there is an association among occurrence of dengue fever and age distribution. Conclusion: Dengue fever cases found in Saudi Arabia during the month of January and the number of cases seems to increase more in the month of April, May and June. It is an endemic in cities like Jeddah, Makah, Medina and Jazan. Recommendations: Mosquito control programs and effective health education programs regarding prevention and control of dengue fever needed.