Dengue Epidemic in Malaysia: Not a Predominantly Urban Disease Anymore

Overview

Journal BMC Res Notes

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Biology
General Medicine

Date 2011 Jul 1

PMID 21714858

Citations 38

Authors

Nor Azila Muhammad Azami

Sharifah Azura Salleh

Hui-Min Neoh

Syed Zulkifli Syed Zakaria

Rahman Jamal

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Dengue infection has been an important and serious public health concern in Malaysia ever since its first reported case here in 1902. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, no nationwide investigation has been carried out to determine the actual magnitude of dengue endemicity in the Malaysian population. In this study, we describe a cross sectional seroepidemiology study of dengue IgG seroprevalence in the Malaysian adult population.

Findings: From 1000 subjects (35-74 years old), 91.6% subjects were found to be dengue seropositive. Age is found to be a significant risk factor associated with dengue seroposivity, where the seroprevalence increased with every 10 year increase in age. Nevertheless, gender and ethnicity did not have an effect. Interestingly, there were similar seroprevalence rates between urban and rural samples, showing that dengue is presently not confined to urban areas in Malaysia.

Conclusions: High dengue IgG seropositivity found in the population is an indication that dengue might be endemic in Malaysia for a long time into the future. Public awareness, proper vector control and vigilant surveillance are critical to keep the infection rates low and to prevent outbreaks.

Citing Articles

Occurrence of arbovirus infections in two riverine populations in the municipality of Humaitá, Amazonas, Brazil.

Silva J, Siqueira I, Dornelas L, Ribeiro C, Gomes J, Guadagnin I Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2024; 57:e004032024.

PMID: 38536999 PMC: 10962355. DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0515-2023.

Dengue Seroprevalence and Factors Associated with Dengue Seropositivity in Petaling District, Malaysia.

Ng R, Chong Z, Abdul Mutalip M, Ng C Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022; 19(12).

PMID: 35742419 PMC: 9223214. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127170.

Dengue surveillance using gravid oviposition sticky (GOS) trap and dengue non-structural 1 (NS1) antigen test in Malaysia: randomized controlled trial.

Selvarajoo S, Liew J, Chua T, Tan W, Ahmad Zaki R, Ngui R Sci Rep. 2022; 12(1):571.

PMID: 35022501 PMC: 8755775. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04643-4.

Integrated serological surveillance of acute febrile illness in the context of a lymphatic filariasis survey in Timor-Leste: a pilot study using dried blood spots.

Arkell P, Angelina J, do Carmo Vieira A, Wapling J, Marr I, Monteiro M Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2021; 116(6):531-537.

PMID: 34850241 PMC: 9157677. DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trab164.

Dengue Seroprevalence and Seroconversion in Urban and Rural Populations in Northeastern Thailand and Southern Laos.

Doum D, Overgaard H, Mayxay M, Suttiprapa S, Saichua P, Ekalaksananan T Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(23).

PMID: 33297445 PMC: 7731008. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17239134.

References

Green S, Pichyangkul S, Vaughn D, Kalayanarooj S, Nimmannitya S, Nisalak A . Early CD69 expression on peripheral blood lymphocytes from children with dengue hemorrhagic fever. J Infect Dis. 1999; 180(5):1429-35. DOI: 10.1086/315072. View

Siqueira J, Martelli C, Maciel I, Oliveira R, Ribeiro M, Amorim F . Household survey of dengue infection in central Brazil: spatial point pattern analysis and risk factors assessment. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2004; 71(5):646-51. View

Halstead S . Observations related to pathogensis of dengue hemorrhagic fever. VI. Hypotheses and discussion. Yale J Biol Med. 1970; 42(5):350-62. PMC: 2591710. View

Skae F . Dengue Fever in Penang. Br Med J. 2010; 2(2185):1581-2. PMC: 2402112. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.2.2185.1581-a. View

Wilder-Smith A, Foo W, Earnest A, Sremulanathan S, Paton N . Seroepidemiology of dengue in the adult population of Singapore. Trop Med Int Health. 2004; 9(2):305-8. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-3156.2003.01177.x. View

Wong S, Ooi M, Abdullah A, Wong S, Krishnan S, Tio P . A decade of Japanese encephalitis surveillance in Sarawak, Malaysia: 1997-2006. Trop Med Int Health. 2008; 13(1):52-5. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2007.01967.x. View

DELLER Jr J, RUSSELL P . An analysis of fevers of unknown origin in American soldiers in Vietnam. Ann Intern Med. 1967; 66(6):1129-43. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-66-6-1129. View

Gubler D . Epidemic dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever as a public health, social and economic problem in the 21st century. Trends Microbiol. 2002; 10(2):100-3. DOI: 10.1016/s0966-842x(01)02288-0. View

Hayes C, PHILLIPS I, Callahan J, Griebenow W, Hyams K, Wu S . The epidemiology of dengue virus infection among urban, jungle, and rural populations in the Amazon region of Peru. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1996; 55(4):459-63. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1996.55.459. View

10.

Chen C, Benjamin S, Saranum M, Chiang Y, Lee H, Nazni W . Dengue vector surveillance in urban residential and settlement areas in Selangor, Malaysia. Trop Biomed. 2006; 22(1):39-43. View

11.

Gubler D, Clark G . Dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever: the emergence of a global health problem. Emerg Infect Dis. 1995; 1(2):55-7. PMC: 2626838. DOI: 10.3201/eid0102.952004. View

12.

Lim K, Sit N, Norzahira R, Sing K, Wong H, Chew H . Dengue vector surveillance in insular settlements of Pulau Ketam, Selangor, Malaysia. Trop Biomed. 2010; 27(2):185-92. View

13.

Yamashiro T, Disla M, Petit A, Taveras D, Castro-Bello M, Lora-Orste M . Seroprevalence of IgG specific for dengue virus among adults and children in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2004; 71(2):138-43. View

14.

SMITH C . The history of dengue in tropical Asia and its probable relationship to the mosquito Aedes aegypti. J Trop Med Hyg. 1956; 59(10):243-51. View

15.

de Madrid A, PORTERFIELD J . The flaviviruses (group B arboviruses): a cross-neutralization study. J Gen Virol. 1974; 23(1):91-6. DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-23-1-91. View

16.

Halstead S, Nimmannitya S, Margiotta M . Dengue d chikungunya virus infection in man in Thailand, 1962-1964. II. Observations on disease in outpatients. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1969; 18(6):972-83. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1969.18.972. View

17.

da Silva-Nunes M, de Souza V, Pannuti C, Speranca M, Terzian A, Nogueira M . Risk factors for dengue virus infection in rural Amazonia: population-based cross-sectional surveys. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2008; 79(4):485-94. View