Prevalence and distribution of dengue and chikungunya viruses among febrile patients during inter-epidemic period in Morogoro Municipality

Abstract

There is currently sufficient evidence available indicating that dengue and chikungunya viruses might be one of the causes of fever in Tanzania. Lately, the dengue outbreak in Dar es Salaam-Tanzania has raised concerns over the spread and distribution of these arboviruses with respect to human movements. The present study was conducted to screen for and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) dengue virus (DENV) from febrile patients in Morogoro Municipality which had no reports of outbreaks during an inter-epidemic period with high risk of transmission. Three hundred and twelve febrile individuals presenting to the outpatient department on selected health centers were tested for viral RNA to evaluate the circulation of DENV and CHIKV during March-May 2018. DENV and CHIKV detection in sera samples was performed using multiplex real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Chikungunya virus was detected in four out of 312 screened serum samples indicating acute cases while no DENV was identified. Chikungunya virus was among the causes of acute undifferentiated fever among febrile patients in Morogoro municipality with a lower prevalence of 1.3% highly prevailing amongst female aged 20-49 years. No acute cases among patients under 10 years of age were detected. The result provides insight into presence of potentially active circulation of CHIKV among febrile patients seeking medical attention, in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. Improvement of CHIKV case detection and reporting at the point of care routine laboratory investigations is critical in reducing misdiagnosis of mosquito-borne viral infection. Monitoring of arboviral activities in human populations, as well as mosquitoes, should be performed in order to avoid maintenance of CHIKV that may lead to future outbreaks.