The critical role of early dengue surveillance and limitations of clinical reporting - Implications for non-endemic countries

Jui Hung Kao, Chaur Dong Chen, Zheng Rong Tiger Li, Ta Chien Chan, Tsung Hwa Tung, Yin Hsia Chu, Hau Yuan Cheng, Jien Wei Liu, Fuh Yuan Shih, Pei Yun Shu, Chien Chou Lin, Wu Hsiung Tsai, Chia Chi Ku, Chi Kung Ho, Chwan Chuen King

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

The increasing dengue burden and epidemic severity worldwide have highlighted the need to improve surveillance. In non-endemic areas such as Taiwan, where outbreaks start mostly with imported cases from Southeast Asia, a closer examination of surveillance dynamics to detect cases early is necessary. To evaluate problems with dengue surveillance and investigate the involvement of different factors at various epidemic stages, we investigated 632 laboratory-confirmed indigenous dengue cases in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan during 2009-2010. The estimated sensitivity of clinical surveillance was 82.4% (521/632). Initially, the modified serological surveillance (targeting only the contacts of laboratory-confirmed dengue cases) identified clinically unrecognized afebrile cases in younger patients who visited private clinics and accounted for 30.4% (35/115) of the early-stage cases. Multivariate regression indicated that hospital/medical center visits [Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 11.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.3-21.4], middle epidemic stage [aOR: 2.4 (1.2-4.7)], fever [aOR: 2.3 (2.3-12.9)], and musculo-articular pain [aOR: 1.9 (1.05-3.3)] were significantly associated with clinical reporting. However, cases with pruritus/rash [aOR: 0.47 (0.26-0.83)] and diarrhea [aOR: 0.47 (0.26-0.85)] were underreported. In conclusion, multiple factors contributed to dengue surveillance problems. To prevent a large-scale epidemic and minimize severe dengue cases, there is a need for integrated surveillance incorporating entomological, clinical, serological, and virological surveillance systems to detect early cases, followed by immediate prevention and control measures and continuous evaluation to ensure effectiveness. This effort will be particularly important for an arbovirus, such as Zika virus, with a high asymptomatic infection ratio. For dengue- non-endemic countries, we recommend serological surveillance be implemented in areas with high Aedes mosquito indices or many breeding sites. Syndromic surveillance, spatial analysis and monitoring changes in epidemiological characteristics using a geographical information system, as well as epidemic prediction models involving epidemiological, meteorological and environmental variables will be helpful for early risk communication to increase awareness.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0160230
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume11
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 08 2016
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Kao et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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