Seroprevalence of Chikungunya during Outbreak in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2017

Chikungunya (CHIK) infection is emergence public health problem globally including Bangladesh. It is the arthropod-borne disease of an alpha genus which is transmitted by mosquitoes bite. The virus was first isolated by Ross in Newala district of Tanzania in 1953. In 2017, an outbreak of chikungunya (CHIKV), has struck Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka, according to officials at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). This study was aimed to know the seroprevalence, clinical presentations and seasonal trends of CHIK infection. This study was conducted in an Ibn Sina Diagnostic and Consultation center Uttara from April to November 2017. About 1526 serum samples were tested from suspected Chikungunya infected patients for IgM and IgG antibodies by immunochromatographic test (ICT) method. Out of the 1526 serum samples tested, 1179(77.27%) were seropositive for CHIK, among the seropositive 1103(72.28%) were IgM positive, 767 (50.26%) were IgG positive and 691(45.28%) were both IgM and IgG positive. The most 70.7% affected age group was 21-50 years. Females were more affected than males. A high percentage of chikungunya seropositive cases among suspected patients demand an early careful investigation. However, the seroprevalence of CHIK among the suspected cases was 72.28%. The infection had spread to new areas during this outbreak.