title: Seroprevalence of Infections with Dengue, Rift Valley Fever and Chikungunya Viruses in Kenya, 2007.
abstract: Arthropod-borne viruses are a major constituent of emerging infectious diseases worldwide, but limited data are available on the prevalence, distribution, and risk factors for transmission in Kenya and East Africa. In this study, we used 1,091 HIV-negative blood specimens from the 2007 Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS 2007) to test for the presence of IgG antibodies to dengue virus (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV).The KAIS 2007 was a national population-based survey conducted by the Government of Kenya to provide comprehensive information needed to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Antibody testing for arboviruses was performed on stored blood specimens from KAIS 2007 through a two-step sandwich IgG ELISA using either commercially available kits or CDC-developed assays. Out of the 1,091 samples tested, 210 (19.2%) were positive for IgG antibodies against at least one of the three arboviruses. DENV was the most common of the three viruses tested (12.5% positive), followed by RVFV and CHIKV (4.5% and 0.97%, respectively). For DENV and RVFV, the participant's province of residence was significantly associated (P≤.01) with seropositivity. Seroprevalence of DENV and RVFV increased with age, while there was no correlation between province of residence/age and seropositivity for CHIKV. Females had twelve times higher odds of exposure to CHIK as opposed to DENV and RVFV where both males and females had the same odds of exposure. Lack of education was significantly associated with a higher odds of previous infection with either DENV or RVFV (p <0.01). These data show that a number of people are at risk of arbovirus infections depending on their geographic location in Kenya and transmission of these pathogens is greater than previously appreciated. This poses a public health risk, especially for DENV.
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ochieng
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Petronella
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ahenda
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Amy Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Vittor
authors.affiliation: Global Disease Detection Program, United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nyoka
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gikunju
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Cyrus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wachira
authors.affiliation: University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Lilian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Waiboci
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Mamo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Umuro
authors.affiliation: Global Disease Detection Program, United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Andrea A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Africa Biomedical Laboratories, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nderitu
authors.affiliation: Global Disease Detection Program, United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Bonventure
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Juma
authors.affiliation: Global Disease Detection Program, United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Joel M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.affiliation: Global Disease Detection Program, United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Breiman
authors.affiliation: Global Disease Detection Program, United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fields
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012295:Rift Valley Fever / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D055815:Young Adult