Seroprevalence of Chikungunya during outbreak in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2017

Chikungunya (CHIK) infection is re-emergence public health problem globally including Bangladesh. It is an arthropod-borne disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes bite. The virus was first isolated in Newala district of Tanzania in 1953. In 2017, an outbreak of Chikungunya, has struck Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. This study was conducted to know the seroprevalence, clinical presentations and seasonal trends of CHIK infection. This study was conducted in the Ibn Sina Diagnostic & Consultation Center, Uttara from January to November, 2017. Serum samples from about 1060 Chikungunya suspected cases were tested for immunoglobin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies by Immuno-Chromatographic test (ICT) method. Out of total tested cases, 524 (49.43%) were seropositive for Chikungunya, among the seropositive 379 (72.32%) were IgM positive, 98 (18.70%) were IgG positive and 47 (8.96%) were both IgM and IgG positive. The most affected age group was 11 to 40 years. Females were more affected than males. A high percentage of Chikungunya seropositive cases were found among suspected patients.