The emergence of Dengue Fever in Sheikhupura, Pakistan: its seroprevalence and risk factors assessment during 2014-2017

Muhammad Uzair Mukhtar,Ali Arslan,Naveed Iqbal,Muhammad Rashid,Adil Bhatti,Fatima Haq,Maria Mukhtar,Zeeshan Nawaz

doi:10.3855/jidc.13976

Abstract

District Sheikhupura encountered its first dengue outbreak in 2014 but lacked serological evidence and reports of risk factors associated with it. To assess this, a hospital-based study was conducted from January 2014 to December 2017. Blood from 333 participants was collected, the serum obtained was tested for IgG and IgM antibodies against DENV using a commercially available ELISA kit. The results showed that out of all (n= 333) samples tested, 120 were turned up positive for DENV, making an overall prevalence of 36%. Of the 120 confirmed cases, 55% (n = 66) were recorded in 2014, 10% (n = 12) in 2015, 27.5% (n = 33) in 2016, and 7.5% (n = 9) in 2017. It was found that 68.3% (n = 82) were male and 31.7% (n = 38) were female, with 61% (n = 74) patients aged between 11-30 years. The highest prevalence of infection, 94.2% (n = 113), was noted after the rainy season. During the study, the highest number of cases appeared in Ferozewala Tehsil. The factors age, gender, and season were found statistically significant with the prevalence of infection (p < 0.05). The study is the first report on the detection of dengue in the Sheikhupura district. The survey anticipated its geographical expansion, determined associated risk factors, and suggests active disease surveillance in the area.

Highlights

District Sheikhupura encountered its first dengue outbreak in 2014 but lacked serological evidence and reports of risk factors associated with it
The obtained serum was tested for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies against dengue virus (DENV) using an ELISA kit (Diagnostic Automation; Cortez Diagnostics, Woodland Hills, CA, USA) following the manufacturer’s protocol
The sera of 45% of patients (n = 54) were positive for IgM whereas, only 4.2% (n = 5) were detected positive for IgG, while 50.8% of patients (n = 61) were positive for both IgM and IgG

Summary

Introduction

District Sheikhupura encountered its first dengue outbreak in 2014 but lacked serological evidence and reports of risk factors associated with it. The highest prevalence of infection, 94.2% (n = 113), was noted after the rainy season. The factors age, gender, and season were found statistically significant with the prevalence of infection (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The study is the first report on the detection of dengue in the Sheikhupura district. The survey anticipated its geographical expansion, determined associated risk factors, and suggests active disease surveillance in the area. Dengue is one of the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral diseases, with around 400 million infections [1]. The dengue virus (DENV) gets transmitted by the female Aedes mosquitoes [4], which are more often reported in urban zones but are still found in rural localities [5]. There is no specific treatment for DENV infection, and a preventive vaccine is yet undergoing further evaluation [6]

Methods

Results

Conclusion