Serological evidence of dengue fever and associated factors in health facilities in Borena Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

BackgroundDengue fever is a re-emerging public health threat in Ethiopia. Yet, little is known about the epidemiology and risk factors. In this study the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of dengue virus infection were assessed in Borena Zone health facilities.\n\nMethodsAn institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to August, 2016. A total of 519 consecutive acute febrile patients attending the outpatient departments of Teltelle health Center, Yabello and Moyale Hospital were enrolled. Data on socio-demographic and environmental risk factors were collected using structured questionnaire. Three to five milliliter blood samples were collected from all participants and screened for dengue virus exposure using indirect immunofluorescent assay.\n\nResultThe overall prevalence of anti-DENV IgG and IgM was 22.9% and 7.9% respectively. The relatively higher IgM versus IgG, absence of trend with age and little or no correlation with the assessed possible risk factors except being male (AOR=1.72; 95%CI 1.01-2.94), place of residence (AOR=0.37;95%CL 0.21-0.64) that had higher rate of exposure and recall of a recent mosquito bite (AOR=2.98; 95%CI 1.51-5.89) probably imply recent and/or ongoing active transmission.\n\nConclusionThis study showed dengue fever could potentially emerge as public health threat in the study area. On top, the observed low awareness of participants underline the urgent need for further systematic studies to determine the environmental, and host factors that determine the extent of exposure to dengue virus infection in the area for appropriate control and prevention planning.\n\nAuthor summaryDengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease of global health problem where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the main vector. It is endemic in most tropical and sub-tropical countries with an estimated 96 million infections resulting in clinical disease annually. It is unrecognized and underreported in Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. So, the current study were conducted among febrile patients who were attending health institutions to document seroprevalence and associated risk factors of DENV infection in the southern part of the country. The study stated the presence of antibodies against DENV infection in study areas, the ringing bell message for those who were involved in health sectors. Gender and residence were significantly associated with the prevalence of anti-DENV IgG seropositivity. In addition, individuals who have experience of recent mosquito bite were identified as the risk factors of DENV infection. Therefore, I recommend that preventive measures should be considered and nationwide surveillance should be carried out at nationwide.