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Robert MA, Rodrigues HS, Herrera D, de Mata Donado Campos J, Morilla F, Del Águila Mejía J, Guardado ME, Skewes R, Colomé-Hidalgo M. Spatiotemporal and meteorological relationships in dengue transmission in the Dominican Republic, 2015-2019. Trop Med Health 2023; 51:32. [PMID: 37269000 DOI: 10.1186/s41182-023-00517-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Dengue has broadened its global distribution substantially in the past two decades, and many endemic areas are experiencing increases in incidence. The Dominican Republic recently experienced its two largest outbreaks to date with 16,836 reported cases in 2015 and 20,123 reported cases in 2019. With continued increases in dengue transmission, developing tools to better prepare healthcare systems and mosquito control agencies is of critical importance. Before such tools can be developed, however, we must first better understand potential drivers of dengue transmission. To that end, we focus in this paper on determining relationships between climate variables and dengue transmission with an emphasis on eight provinces and the capital city of the Dominican Republic in the period 2015-2019. We present summary statistics for dengue cases, temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity in this period, and we conduct an analysis of correlated lags between climate variables and dengue cases as well as correlated lags among dengue cases in each of the nine locations. We find that the southwestern province of Barahona had the largest dengue incidence in both 2015 and 2019. Among all climate variables considered, lags between relative humidity variables and dengue cases were the most frequently correlated. We found that most locations had significant correlations with cases in other locations at lags of zero weeks. These results can be used to improve predictive models of dengue transmission in the country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Robert
- Department of Mathematics and Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens (CeZAP), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
| | - Helena Sofia Rodrigues
- Escola Superior de Ciências Empresariais, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Valença, Portugal
- Centro de Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Matemática e Aplicações, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Demian Herrera
- Centro de Investigación en Salud Dr. Hugo Mendoza, Hospital Pediátrico Dr. Hugo Mendoza, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| | - Juan de Mata Donado Campos
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública y Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Calle Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Morilla
- Departamento de Informática y Automática, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Informática, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Del Águila Mejía
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública y Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Elena Guardado
- Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| | - Ronald Skewes
- Dirección General de Epidemiología, Ministerio de Salud, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
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Shoaib A, Salim N, Waseem S. Dengue surge in Pakistan amidst the torrential rains: The threat of a potential outbreak. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28346. [PMID: 36424668 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
With 390 million infections occurring globally and the infection putting half of the world's population at risk, dengue is an illness with potential, life-threatening manifestations such as plasma leakage and fluid retention, severe bleeding, and organ impairment. This disease is already lurking in the various regions of Pakistan, which was recently ravaged by decades' worst flood. With mosquitoes being its eminent transmission source, it is coherent that a country with massive flooding, accumulation of stagnant water, and lack of adequate drainage systems can lead to a dengue outbreak. Pakistan, a low-middle-income country, is still recuperating from the aftershocks of the pandemic, a recent cholera outbreak, and the massive economic destruction they caused, especially in the healthcare sector. Concerningly, the World Health Organization has already issued a "second catastrophe" warning for Pakistan in the aftermath of the fatal floods which have caused the destruction of hundreds of health facilities while physicians and medical workers on the ground scramble to combat outbreaks of waterborne and other illnesses. If the spread of dengue isn't contained immediately, it will destroy the healthcare systems across the country and result in massive fatalities. To avoid tragic consequences, the government and concerned authorities must devise plans to launch public health programs aimed at boosting knowledge of the disease, its symptoms, transmission, prevention, and control. In this commentary, we discuss the current spike of dengue virus, epidemiology, transmission patterns, and preventative efforts in the aftermath of Pakistan's disastrous floods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aqsa Shoaib
- Karachi Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Najwa Salim
- Karachi Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
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Khan J, Adil M, Wang G, Tsheten T, Zhang D, Pan W, Khan MA, Rehman IU, Zheng X, Wu Z, Wu Y. A cross-sectional study to assess the epidemiological situation and associated risk factors of dengue fever; knowledge, attitudes, and practices about dengue prevention in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Front Public Health 2022; 10:923277. [PMID: 35968472 PMCID: PMC9372552 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.923277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dengue fever has been responsible for around 12 countrywide large outbreaks in Pakistan, resulting in 286,262 morbidities and 1,108 deaths. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is the most recently impacted province. This study aimed to investigate the molecular, epidemiological, and potential elements that contribute to increasing dengue transmission patterns, and knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward dengue in KP province. Method This cross-sectional community-based study was conducted (June-December, 2021) in two phases. Phase I involved the epidemiological (n = 5,242) and molecular analysis of DENV in 500 randomly collected blood samples of the 2021 dengue outbreak in KP. Phase II focused on assessing dengue-KAP levels in healthy communities (n = 14,745, aged >18 years), adopting a cross-sectional clustered multistage sampling in eight districts (dengue-hotspot vs. non-hotspot) of KP. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were applied. Results Peshawar district had the highest dengue cases (60.0%) associated with the predominant co-circulation of DENV-2 (45.8%) and DENV-3 (50.4%) serotypes. A rise in cases was reported in October (41.8%) followed by September (27.9%) and August (14.4%; p < 0.001). Males (63.7%, p < 0.001) and individuals aged 16–30 years (37.0%, p < 0.001) were highly affected. General workers (18.0%), families with a monthly income of 10,000–20,000 Pak rupees (50.5%), unmarried (71.0%), uneducated (31%), families with higher human density (>10 individuals per household), and those (29.0%) who faced power outages for more than 7/24 h were the most affected. Moreover, co-morbidities like renal failure and bronchial asthma were associated with disease severity. A community survey on KAP revealed that an average of 74, 60, and 43% of the participants demonstrated good knowledge, attitudes, and dengue preventive practices, respectively. Conclusion Multiple poor socioeconomic elements are influencing dengue fever transmission in the province. Higher KAP levels may explain the low frequency of dengue in non-hotspot districts. Our study emphasizes the need for effective and long-term public health education, strengthened vector surveillance, and expanded laboratory capacity for better diagnosis and management of dengue cases to better predict the burden and seasonality of disease in the country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jehangir Khan
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of the Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University-Michigan State University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Chinese Atomic Energy Agency Center of Excellence on Nuclear Technology Applications for Insect Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | | | - Gang Wang
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of the Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University-Michigan State University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Chinese Atomic Energy Agency Center of Excellence on Nuclear Technology Applications for Insect Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tsheten Tsheten
- Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Royal Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Thimphu, Bhutan
| | - Dongjing Zhang
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of the Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University-Michigan State University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Chinese Atomic Energy Agency Center of Excellence on Nuclear Technology Applications for Insect Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenjie Pan
- Guangzhou SYSU Nuclear and Insect Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China
| | - Munir Ahmad Khan
- Medical Unit, Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Inayat ur Rehman
- Department of Pharmacy, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Xiaoying Zheng
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of the Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University-Michigan State University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Chinese Atomic Energy Agency Center of Excellence on Nuclear Technology Applications for Insect Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhongdao Wu
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of the Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University-Michigan State University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Chinese Atomic Energy Agency Center of Excellence on Nuclear Technology Applications for Insect Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- *Correspondence: Zhongdao Wu
| | - Yu Wu
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of the Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University-Michigan State University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Chinese Atomic Energy Agency Center of Excellence on Nuclear Technology Applications for Insect Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Yu Wu
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