Volume : VII, Issue : XII, December - 2017

Pattern of Dengue fever epidemic: observations from laboratory results of a tertiary care hospital in central Kerala.

Sathiavathy K A, Praveenlal Kuttichira, Prasad Ab, Deepthi P Kuttichira

Abstract :

 Background

Dengue fever is spreading widely and is a major public health problem now. Most of the research reports from Kerala are on clinical presentations or complications. This study was to explore the magnitude and pattern of incidence based on the investigations done in our hospital.

Materials and methods

The number of cases tested for Dengue and IgM test positive was gathered from the Microbiology register for   year 2006 to 2016. The data entered in excel sheet year wise and month wise. The analysed data is presented in tables.

Observations

Total number of cases, both clinically suspected and tested positive showed steady rise from 2006 to 2016; except a plateau in 2010–2011 and fall in 2013–2014. A rise during the months of June, July and August every year was consistent. The rise begins earlier and fall starts later in consecutive years that followed. For the period 2011 to 2016 the incidence showed wide variations in rises & falls and extent of rise without any similarity in pattern to nearby years. However spread to nearby months – both in the beginning and at the end – was universally present.

Conclusions

The importance of Dengue as a serious mosquito–borne viral infection is evident from the large number of incidences. Though incidence observed throughout the year, there was noticeable rise during June, July months. There was a progressive rise in incidence every year during the decade of study period. The rise in incidence showed a tendency to last longer to later months every year.  Changes in the environment, mosquito or viral population may be responsible for the rise in transmission, morbidity, mortality and to the spread to later months. The need for long term surveillance including sero–epidemiological is proposed. 

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Article: Download PDF   DOI : 10.36106/ijar  

Cite This Article:

Sathiavathy K A, Praveenlal Kuttichira, Prasad AB, Deepthi P Kuttichira, Pattern of Dengue fever epidemic: observations from laboratory results of a tertiary care hospital in central Kerala., INDIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH : Volume-7 | Issue-12 | December-2017

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