Value of routine dengue diagnosis in endemic countries

Abstract

Dengue is one of the most common arthropod-borne viral diseases in humans and it is a leading cause of illness and death in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is thought to account for 400 million cases annually among approximately 3.97 billion people at risk of infection in 128 endemic countries. Despite the global prevalence of the disease, the availability of a vaccine is limited in most countries in the endemic areas. Most endemic countries in South America, South East Asia and Africa serve as attractive touristic sites for people from non-endemic countries who become infected and export the virus to dengue-free regions. Dengue fever typically resembles malaria and in endemic countries most cases of dengue are treated as presumptive malaria. Consequently, routine dengue diagnosis among persons with fever will offer early treatment and reduce the burden of the disease. Also, routine testing among travellers from endemic countries will reduce importation and prevent the geographical expansion of dengue. In this essay, we seek to highlight the usefulness of routine dengue testing in endemic countries.

Seroprevalence of Dengue Virus, West Nile Virus, Chikungunya Virus, and Zika Virus in International Travelers Attending a Travel and Migration Center in 2015–2017, Southern Italy

“…This underlines the need for systematic pretravel counseling and surveillance of international travelers visiting endemic areas. This is particularly true for those traveling frequently or for long periods to areas endemic for hemorrhagic DV (Ayukekbong et al 2017 , Wilder-Smith 2017).…”

An outbreak of dengue virus (DENV) type 2 Cosmopolitan genotype in Israeli travellers returning from the Seychelles, April 2017

“…DENV is currently a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics with as many as 400 million people infected yearly [10]. However, because it occurs in many areas with limited diagnostic resources and co-circulates with other arboviruses with similar clinical manifestations, travellers are often the most sensitive sentinels for arboviral outbreaks.…”

A study of trend of incidence of dengue cases attending a tertiary care hospital in urban Maharashtra

“…are common challenges faced by several of the low-to-middle income countries, which cause the true burden of the disease to be underestimated and efforts to control it being inadequate. 13 Vector control measures if inadequate can also be a major contributing factor. Insecticide resistance may be found among the vector species, which can cause uncontrolled growth in their populations.…”