Seroprevalence of Dengue Fever (IgG) in Adults of Rawalpindi District

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of current study were to find out the prevalence of Dengue viral infection (DVI) IgG amongst the adult population residing in urban/ rural areas of Rawalpindi in order to assess that in which specific population it is more prevalent. The hypothesis of the study was that DVI is more prevalent in urban areas of Rawalpindi district. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive Cross Sectional Comparative Study. PLACE AND DURATION: It was carried out at Microbiology Department of Benazir Bhutto Hospital Affiliated with Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi. It was carried out from March to September 2010. METHODOLOGY: Stratified random sampling procedure was adopted for 240 healthy adults, 144 urban residents and 96 rural residents of Rawalpindi. The clotted blood samples were used for the detection of anti-dengue Ab (IgG) by 3rd generation ELISA method. RESULTS: The results were in favor of the hypothesis showing 34.7 % prevalence of DF in urban areas when compared to 19.7% prevalence in rural areas of Rawalpindi. CONCLUSION: Dengue fever is more prevalent in urban areas of Rawalpindi.