Acute Dengue Infection in the Western Terai Region of Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Dengue fever is an emerging mosquito borne disease in Nepal claiming substantial morbidity and mortality. The objective of the study was to fi nd out frequency of acute dengue infection in patients from the hospitals of the western Nepal. Methods: The study was conducted between August 2007 and July 2008 in patients visiting hospitals of the western terai of Nepal with chief complains of fever. The sero-diagnosis of acute dengue infection was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay among 239 patients visiting Lumbini Zonal Hospital, Butwal; Bheri Zonal Hospital, Nepalgunj; Bardiya District Hospital, Bardiya and Mahakali Zonal Hospital, Mahendranagar. Results: The anti-dengue IgM positivity was 29.3 %. There was slight male preponderance with a male to female ratio of 1.2:1. Out of the total positive cases, the highest positive cases (75.7 %) were from the age group 15 - 50 years followed by < 15 years old (15.7 %). Out of four hospitals, the highest positive cases (54.3 %) were in Lumbini Zonal Hospital, Butwal. The age and gender were independent predictors to dengue virus infection. The highest numbers of dengue positive cases were in October (52.6 %). The association between dengue disease and the month was statistically significant. Conclusions: The dengue positivity was estimated in acute patients from hospitals of western Nepal by enzyme immunoassay. Therefore, the serological marker can be used to diagnose acute patients of dengue during outbreaks. Keywords: dengue, ELISA, post monsoon, sero-diagnosis