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. 2017 Mar 9;6(1):48.
doi: 10.1186/s40249-017-0258-6.

"Preliminary Seroepidemiological survey of dengue infections in Pakistan, 2009-2014"

Muhammad Suleman  1   2 , Hyeong-Woo Lee  3 , Syed Sohail Zahoor Zaidi  2 , Muhammad Masroor Alam  2 , Nadia Nisar  2 , Uzma Bashir Aamir  2 , Salmaan Sharif  2 , Shahzad Shaukat  2 , Adnan Khurshid  2 , Mehar Angez  2 , Massab Umair  2 , Ghulam Mujtaba  2 , Rani Faryal  4
Affiliations

"Preliminary Seroepidemiological survey of dengue infections in Pakistan, 2009-2014"

Muhammad Suleman et al. Infect Dis Poverty. .

Abstract

Background: Dengue virus is the causative agent of dengue fever, a vector borne infection which causes self-limiting to life threatening disease in humans. A sero-epidemiological study was conducted to understand the current epidemiology of dengue virus in Pakistan which is now known as a dengue endemic country after its first reported outbreak in 1994.

Methods: To investigate the prevalence of dengue virus in Pakistan during 2009-2014, a total of 9,493 blood samples were screened for the detection of anti-dengue IgM antibodies using ELISA. Clinical and demographic features available with hospital records were reviewed to ascertain mortalities related to dengue hemorrhagic shock syndrome.

Results: Out of 9,493 samples tested, 37% (3,504) were found positive for anti-dengue IgM antibodies. Of the seropositive cases, 73.6% (2,578/3,504) were male and 26.4% (926/3,504) were female. The highest number (382/929; 41.1%) of sero-positive cases was observed among the individuals of age group 31-40 years. The highest number of symptomatic cases was reported in October (46%; 4,400/9,493), and the highest number of sero-positive cases among symptomatic cases was observed in November (45.7%; 806/1,764). Mean annual patient incidence (MAPI) during 2009-2014 in Pakistan remained 0.30 with the highest annual patient incidence (11.03) found in Islamabad. According to the available medical case record, 472 dengue related deaths were reported during 2009-2014.

Conclusion: The data from earlier reports in Pakistan described the dengue virus incidence from limited areas of the country. Our findings are important considering the testing of clinical samples at a larger scale covering patients of vast geographical regions and warrants timely implementation of dengue vector surveillance and control programs.

Trial registration number: It is an epidemiological research study, so trial registration is not required.

Keywords: Dengue Virus; IgM ELISA; Pakistan; Vector; epidemiology.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Geographical map of Pakistan showing districts with dengue postive cases during 2009-2014. The bar charts indicate number of DENV positive cases in each of the four provinces and regions of Pakistan. AJK: Azad Jammu and Kashmir; KPK: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; PB: Punjab; SD: Sindh; BN: Baluchistan; ISB: Islamabad
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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