Abstract

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Dengue is an endemic mosquito borne viral disease which is sparingly considered during routine screening for agents of febrile illnesses in Nigeria even though it has been reported across major cities in the country. We investigated the prevalence of dengue virus infection among dwellers of a rural community in Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria. Whole blood samples were collected from consenting participants in Hospitals and clinics within the community and tested for DENV IgM antibody using an ELISA (Wkea Medical Supplies, Guanzou China) technique. Out of a total number of 120 serum samples screened, 57.50% tested positive for dengue IgM while 42.50% were negative. Female samples recorded highest positivity of 37.5% compared to males having 20%. There was a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of dengue IgM antibody by gender (X2= 8.89, df= 1, &p= 0.003). There exist a statistical association between dengue IgM antibody and length of stay in the community (p<0.001); occupation (p=0.0175); travel history (p=0.003) as well as use of mosquito nets and insecticides (p<0.001). Our findings show a relatively high prevalence of recent dengue viral infection within the rural community which needs to be studied further. Hence, there is the need to constantly screen for dengue during all cases of febrile conditions

Keywords: Dengue virus, ELISA, Rural Community, IgM Antibody.