Detection of Dengue Virus among Children with Suspected Malaria, Accra, Ghana

Amoako, Nicholas; Duodu, Samuel; Dennis, Francis E; Bonney, Joseph Humphrey Kofi; Asante, Kwaku Poku; Ameh, Juliana; Mosi, Lydia; Hayashi, T.; Agbosu, Esinam; Pratt, Deborah; Operario, Darwin J.; Fields, Barry S.; Liu, Jie; Houpt, Eric R.; Armah, George; Stoler, Justin; Awandare, Gordon A.

doi:10.3201/eid2408.180341

Cited by 42 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In Africa, Dengue is endemic in over 33 countries with the serotype-2 being noted to predominantly cause outbreaks in most parts of the continent [9]. The confirmed Dengue-2 virus in our study validates the data in the sub-region and supports other studies in the country that detected Dengue -2 virus from a traveler1 [1] and suspected malaria children [12]. The findings made in our VHF surveillance activity within a period of 2 yr. supports the need for an improved routine surveillance activity for these VHFs and other emerging viruses of zoonotic and outbreak potential in order to minimize spread and/or possibly forestall outbreaks.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Molecular detection of viral pathogens from suspected viral hemorrhagic fever patients in Ghana

et al. 2020

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Background: Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are infectious illnesses that can cause serious morbidity and mortality to infected persons. During the 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak in some West African countries, Ghana revamped its surveillance system across the country to prepare, effectively respond and pre-empt any public health concerns Objective: We report on suspected VHF clinical specimens submitted to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) from health facilities across the country for diagnosis within the period under review. This was partly to provide rapid response and to alert the health system to prevent outbreaks and its spread. Methods: From January 2017 to December 2018 clinical specimens of blood from 149 cases of suspected VHFs were collected at health facilities across the country and sent to NMIMR. Patient specimens were tested for viral pathogens including Lassa fever, Yellow fever, Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Zika, Ebola and Marburg by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. A case was however tested for influenza as the patient exhibited respiratory distress symptoms as well. Demographic and clinical information collected on a structured case-based forms were analyzed for each patient. Results: Out of the 149 clinical specimens tested, three (3) were found to be positive, with two (2) being Dengue and one (1) seasonal Influenza A H1N1. Analysis of the case-based forms revealed shortcomings with regards to standard case definitions used to enroll suspected cases. Conclusion: Our results buttress the need for a routine surveillance activity for VHFs to minimize spread and possibly forestall outbreaks. Moreover, febrile illnesses can be caused by a host of pathogens hence there is a need for enhanced diagnosis to help in patient management.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Molecular detection of viral pathogens from suspected viral hemorrhagic fever patients in Ghana

et al. 2020

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“…The findings from previous studies [ 90 , 91 ] show that co-morbidities increase the risk of severe disease and fatal outcomes among dengue patients. Our results show that in the past decade (2010–2020), malaria and dengue co-infections were the most prevalent, followed by dengue and chikungunya co-infection [ 24 , 31 , 40 , 43 , 53 , 56 , 79 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 ]. A similar occurrence pattern of malaria and dengue co-infection dominance followed by dengue and chikungunya co-infection was previously reported [ 96 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Dengue Virus Infection and Associated Risk Factors in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mwanyika

Mboera

Rugarabamu

et al. 2021

Viruses

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Dengue contributes a significant burden on global public health and economies. In Africa, the burden of dengue virus (DENV) infection is not well described. This review was undertaken to determine the prevalence of dengue and associated risk factors. A literature search was done on PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar databases to identify articles published between 1960 and 2020. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effect model at a 95% confidence interval, followed by subgroup meta-analysis to determine the overall prevalence. Between 1960 and 2020, 45 outbreaks were identified, of which 17 and 16 occurred in East and West Africa, respectively. Dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV-1) and DENV-2 were the dominant serotypes contributing to 60% of the epidemics. Of 2211 cases reported between 2009 and 2020; 1954 (88.4%) were reported during outbreaks. Overall, the prevalence of dengue was 29% (95% CI: 20–39%) and 3% (95% CI: 1–5%) during the outbreak and non-outbreak periods, respectively. Old age (6/21 studies), lack of mosquito control (6/21), urban residence (4/21), climate change (3/21), and recent history of travel (3/21) were the leading risk factors. This review reports a high burden of dengue and increased risk of severe disease in Africa. Our findings provide useful information for clinical practice and health policy decisions to implement effective interventions.

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“…With the known presence of the Aedes mosquito vectors in Africa, dengue cases have been reported in 34 African countries [4][5][6]. However, most are from the same few countries in the region, in particular from outbreak investigations [5,7,8]. Recently, DENVs have been identified as a common cause of febrile illness in Africa, but there are continued challenges in terms of diagnostic capabilities limiting accurate estimation of the burden among many causes of febrile illness [9][10][11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of dengue fever in Gabon: Results from a health facility-based fever surveillance in Lambaréné and its surroundings

et al. 2021

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Background In Africa, information on dengue is limited to outbreak reports and focused on some countries with continuing transmission in West and East Africa. To estimate the proportion of dengue-positive cases among febrile patients and identify clinical indicators of dengue cases, we conducted passive facility-based fever surveillance in a catchment area population of 70,000 residents of Lambaréné and its surroundings in Gabon. Methods Non-malarial febrile patients with current fever or history of fever (≤7 days) between 1 and 55 years of age, were enrolled at Albert Schweitzer Hospital (ASH). Acute (visit 1, day of enrollment) and convalescent blood samples were collected between 10 and 21 days after enrollment. Acute/convalescent samples were tested with IgM/IgG ELISA, and a selected subset of acute samples with RT-PCR. Results Among 682 non-malarial febrile patients enrolled, 119 (17.4%) were identified as dengue-positive (94 dengue-confirmed and 25 dengue-probable cases). Of these dengue-positive cases, 14 were confirmed with PCR, and based on serotyping, two infections were identified to be DENV-2 and two were DENV-3. The majority of our enrolled patients were <25 years of age and close to 80% of our dengue-positive cases were <15 years of age. In adjusted analyses, retro-orbital pain and abdominal pain were 2.7 and 1.6 times more frequently found among dengue-positive cases, compared to non-dengue cases. Conclusion Lambaréné is not considered dengue-endemic. However, one in six non-malarial febrile episodes was found to be dengue-positive in the study period. Dengue should be considered more frequently in clinicians’ diagnosis among non-malarial febrile patients in Lambaréné. Given the lack of data on dengue in Gabon, additional prospective and longitudinal studies would help to further define the burden and patterns of dengue for improved case detection.

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Detection of Dengue Virus among Children with Suspected Malaria, Accra, Ghana

Cited by 42 publications

References 13 publications

Molecular detection of viral pathogens from suspected viral hemorrhagic fever patients in Ghana

Molecular detection of viral pathogens from suspected viral hemorrhagic fever patients in Ghana

Dengue Virus Infection and Associated Risk Factors in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Epidemiology of dengue fever in Gabon: Results from a health facility-based fever surveillance in Lambaréné and its surroundings

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