Dengue and West Nile Virus Transmission in Children and Adults in Coastal Kenya

Abstract

Dengue virus (DENV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are important reemerging arboviruses that are under-recognized in many parts of Africa due to lack of surveillance. As a part of a study on flavivirus, alphavirus, and parasite exposure in coastal Kenya, we measured neutralizing antibody against DENV and, to evaluate assay specificity, WNV in serum samples that tested positive for serum anti-DENV IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Of 830 anti-DENV IgG-positive samples that were tested for neutralizing activity, 488 (58.8%) neutralized DENV and 94 (11.3%) neutralized WNV. Of children ≤ 10 years of age, 23% and 17% had serum neutralizing antibody to DENV and WNV, respectively, indicating that DENV and WNV transmission has occurred in this region within the past decade. The results suggest that ongoing DENV and WNV transmission continues on the coast of Kenya and supports a need for routine arboviral surveillance in the area to detect and respond to future outbreaks.

High Seroprevalence of Dengue Virus Infection in Sudan: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The analysis showed that DENV seroprevalence was highest in Central (43%) and Western (36%) Sudan, followed by similar seroprevalence in Northern (24%) and Eastern (23%) regions of the country. Similar regional variation and heterogeneity of DENV prevalence are reported in the neighbor countries including Kenya, where the prevalence rates range between 34.17% in the coastal areas and 1.9% in Western regions [ 36 , 37 , 38 ], as well as in Saudi Arabia where it ranges between from 0.1% to 31% [ 39 ]. Dengue epidemics also occurred in Egypt in 1927 and affected the whole country [ 40 ].…”

Serological and spatial analysis of alphavirus and flavivirus prevalence and risk factors in a rural community in western Kenya

“…Sudden and pervasive outbreaks have become an increasingly regular occurrence over the last decade, illustrating the intensity at which arboviruses can spread and affect naïve populations[ 1 , 7 ]. Many alphaviruses and flaviviruses are primarily transmitted by the same vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito[ 8 , 9 ], which is found in most regions of Kenya, in both rural and urban sites [ 10 – 12 ]. Due to the shared primary vector species, DENV and CHIKV are now co-endemic in many regions of the world, including Asia, Africa, South and Central America, and the Caribbean[ 13 – 15 ].…”

Unrecognized Dengue Virus Infections in Children, Western Kenya, 2014–2015

“…Although reports of DENV infection in Kenya remain sparse, several sero-epidemiologic studies have produced evidence of DENV transmission by demonstrating serum DENV IgG in patients of all ages ( 3 – 6 ). In 2013, an outbreak of DENV-2 in Mombasa was detected, in part, by RT-PCR ( 7 ).…”