Spreading of dengue virus infection cases in Malda district of West Bengal, India during COVID-19 pandemic situation (2020 to 2022): A cross-sectional study

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Introduction: One of the most widespread arboviral infections is caused by the dengue virus (Family: Flaviviridae) having a positive sense single-stranded RNA genome. It causes common symptoms like fever with headache, rashes, and other associated features like thrombocytopenia. This study aims to determine the prevalence of dengue virus infection and serotype dominance in the Malda district, West Bengal, India. Methods: During January 2020 to December 2022, the fever cases visited out-patient department or admitted to in-patient department at Malda Medical College were assessed for the presence of dengue NS1 antigen (fever<5 days) along with dengue IgM (fever≥5 days) in serum by ELISA. Serotype(s) of the dengue NS1-positive patients was determined using RT-qPCR. Results: The results revealed NS1 positivity to be 2.94% in 2020, 6.50% in 2021 and an increase up to 7.36% in 2022. Dengue IgM positivity was 0.35% in 2020, 5.59% in 2021 and reached 10.89% in 2022. During this period, the male population was infected more than the female. In 2020, the age-group<15 years was mostly infected (43%), while the age-group of 15-30 years accounted for the highest rate in 2021 (38%) and 2022 (34%). The serotyping data revealed that DENV-2 was most prevalent (60%), while some mixed infections (10%) with DENV-1 and DENV-3, were also found. Conclusion: Dengue infection is a major concern in this region and the rate of infection is continuously increasing yearly. DENV-2 serotype was found most predominant. Appropriate prevention along with proper awareness among the population, is utmost necessary.