Dengue Infection - Prevalence and Seasonal Variation Among Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital at Lower Himalayan Region, India

Abstract

Background and Aims: Dengue is an acute arboviral infection with potentially fatal complications. Dengue is an endemic disease worldwide. Around two fifths of the world's population in tropical and subtropical countries are at constant risk of contracting this infection. The case fatality rate in patients with severe dengue infection which consists of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) can be as high as 44%. Since there is no specific treatment or vaccine for dengue till date, prevention and control of the disease mainly depend upon epidemiological surveillance that provide reliable estimates of the disease.
Material and Methods: It is a retrospective based cross-sectional study using secondary data which was maintained in the Microbiology Laboratory registers, of clinically suspected dengue cases reported to various inpatient and out-patient departments of the hospital for a period of two year from June 2017 to May 2019 who were subjected to DENV detect Tm NS1 ELISA and NIV dengue IgM Capture ELISA. A clinical case included a patient with fever and symptoms suggestive of dengue as per WHO guidelines. There were no exclusion criteria for processing of the collected samples.
Results: A total of 592 serum samples were gathered from patients who were suffering from fever suspected to have dengue infections. Dengue positively was seen in 128 (21.6%) patients either by NS1 or IgM ELISA in the present study. The proportion of dengue cases was higher in monsoon season with maximum rate of positivity in the month of October. Paediatric population was the most common affected group.
Conclusion: The present study concludes that dengue is mainly a disease of monsoon season and also identifies certain vulnerable groups for effective planning of interventions.