Cross-sectional community-based study of the socio-demographic factors associated with the prevalence of dengue in the eastern part of Sudan in 2011.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is caused by an arthropod-borne flavivirus. Infection can be either primary or secondary based on serology, with each stage of the disease characterized by specific serological conversion and antibody formation. Further study is needed to fully identify the factors associated with and predisposing to dengue infection. The objective of this study was to identify socio-demographic factors associated with the prevalence of dengue serotypes in Kassala State in the eastern part of Sudan in 2011. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional community-based study with 530 participants who were randomly selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. Dengue serotype prevalence was determined using capture Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISA IgG. A multivariate logistic regression model was designed to measure the strength of associations between socio-demographic factors and dengue serotype prevalence. All participants who tested negative for dengue were used as the statistical reference group. RESULTS: From this study, the prevalence of dengue in Kassala was estimated to be 9.4% (95% CI: 7.1-12.3). Lack of knowledge about dengue fever disease (OR 2.8, 95% CI: 1.24-6.53) and a household density of more than 3 people per room (OR 2.1, 95% CI: 1.06-4.09) were the most important factors associated with dengue infection among the study population. CONCLUSIONS: Community-oriented interventions are needed to modify existing social behaviors to reduce the risk of dengue in the eastern part of Sudan. Additional studies are also required in this field.

Sero-prevalence of dengue infections in the Kassala state in the eastern part of the Sudan in 2011.

Dengue fever is a vector-borne disease that is transmitted to humans by infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The eastern part of the Sudan is one of the regions that is affected by dengue virus circulation. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of dengue infections in the Kassala state in the eastern part of the Sudan. The study objective was to estimate the sero-prevalence of dengue IgG/IgM antibodies in the Kassala locality in 2011. This was a cross sectional community-based study that utilized a multi-stage cluster sampling technique regarding the probability sampling the study participants. Capture ELISA serological techniques were used for both IgM and IgG, with the specific cut-offs for each set by the manufacturer. The prevalence of dengue infection was found to be 9.4% (95% CI: 7.1-12.3). In conclusion, there is evidence that the dengue virus is being transmitted in Kassala. Disease surveillance, including the clinical, serological and entomological components, should be strengthened, and additional epidemiological studies are needed to better understand of the disease burden and effects in the area.