Abstract
IntroductionA routine diagnosis of Dengue virus (DENV) infection is not usually conducted in hospitals. Because symptoms overlap, many potential febrile illnesses due to DENV may be confused for malaria, typhoid or paratyphoid (enteric) fever. The absence of data on DENV exposure rates among children attending health facilities could undermine management of this disease. This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of dengue virus infection in children presenting febrile illness in some public health facilities in Cameroon.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed in children ≤ 15 years attending seven urban and three semi-urban public hospitals of Cameroon. From each volunteer, 2ml of whole blood was collected and tested for dengue virus IgM, malaria (Pf/Pan antigens) and enteric fever (Typhoid IgM) using rapid diagnostic tests (RDT); in order to allow the healthcare workers to quickly put the positive cases under appropriate treatment. Positive cases of dengue virus infection were confirmed by indirect ELISA. Data analysis were performed using the statistical package for social sciences software, version 22.1.ResultsA total of 961 children were enrolled in the study and 492 (51.2%) were infected with at least one of the three pathogens. Overall, DENV IgM seroprevalence among febrile children was 14.4% (138/961). About 390 (40.6%) and 22 (2.3%) had malaria (Pf/Pan Ag) and enteric fever (Typhoid IgM) respectively. Co-infection with dengue virus was found in 51 (5.3%) participants. The dengue virus IgM seroprevalence was higher in Bankim (19.3%), Ntui (18.3%) and Douala (18.2%).ConclusionDengue virus infection seroprevalence appears to be low in children presenting with febrile illness in the studied health centres in Cameroon but call for more attention and research to further characterise the circulating strains of the dengue virus.
Highlights
Dengue is a tropical disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes [1, 2]
Characteristics of study populations: a total of 961 consenting children attending hospital for febrile illness and for whom the clinician suspected malaria and/or typhoid fever were included in the study
A high prevalence of malaria was recorded in Douala, Edéa and Bafia whereas low infection rate was recorded in Kaelé where transmission is seasonal (Table 2)
Summary
Dengue is a tropical disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes [1, 2]. Infection by dengue virus causes flu-like illness and can occasionally develop to severe complications and death. Early diagnosis of DF by a rapid diagnostic test for the detection of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is important for preventing potential complications in children [21, 22] and to limit the overconsumption of anti-malarial drugs and antibiotics by patients who do not need them. This could help in slowing down the development and emergence of resistance to antibiotics and antimalarial drugs
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