Expansion of epidemic dengue viral infections to Pakistan.
OBJECTIVE
Antibodies to dengue viruses have occasionally been reported in individuals in Pakistan, but the frequency of occurrence of dengue infection in Pakistan is unclear. The first confirmed dengue hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Pakistan occurred in 1994. In October 1995, the authors investigated an outbreak of a febrile illness among employees of a construction contractor at a power generation plant in Baluchistan, Pakistan, to determine the cause of illness and recommend appropriate preventive measures.


METHODS
The work site and living arrangements were inspected, a questionnaire was administered, and serum samples were collected from all consenting contractor employees and their families if they lived at the camp. Sera were analyzed for IgM against dengue virus, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
Interviews were conducted with 76 persons (mean age, 42y); 95% were men. Forty-two persons (55%) reported having experienced fever, headache, or myalgia in the preceding 6 weeks. Fifty-seven subjects (75%) had IgM antibodies against at least one dengue serotype; 45 subjects (59%) had IgM antibodies against dengue serotype 2.


CONCLUSIONS
This was an outbreak of dengue fever due to multiple serotypes of dengue virus. This confirms that epidemic dengue infection was present in southern Pakistan for 2 consecutive years.
Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
R E
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Paul
A Y
AY
Patel
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Mirza
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Fisher-Hoch
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Luby
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000276:immunology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D019595:Severe Dengue / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M