Seroprevalence of Dengue Virus by Detection of IgG Antibodies: A Tertiary Care Hospital Study in Rawalpindi

Abstract

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of dengue virus infection by detecting IgG antibodies in a tertiary care hospital in Rawalpindi. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Virology department, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Rawalpindi, July 2021 to December 2021. Materials and Methods: A total of one hundred and fifty healthy general population of Rawalpindi aged 15 – 45 years were included in this study. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was performed for the detection of dengue immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody in serum samples of patients. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used to analyze the data. Results: Among 150 patients, 71 (47.3%) were males and 79 (52.7%) were females. Out of total patients, 50 (33.3%) were positive and 100 (67.7%) were negative for dengue IgG antibodies. Majority of dengue IgG positive patients were 25-40 years of age. Acute febrile illness was present among 37 (24.6%) patients and was absent in 113 (75.3%) patients. Participants provided history of presence of waste points and stagnant water in surrounding areas of 84 (56%) patients. Conclusion: This study shows that there was a high exposure of dengue virus in Rawalpindi population. This can be problematic from public health point of view in future as sensitized population against dengue virus is more prone to dengue fever and serious effects of dengue virus reinfection.

Keywords

• dengue fever
• dengue virus
• enzyme linked immunosorbent assay
• immunoglobulin g
• seroprevalence.