Geographic information system-aided evaluation of epidemiological trends of dengue serotypes in West Bengal, India
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Date
2024-02
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Publisher
Wolters Kluwer – Medknow
Abstract
Background & objectives: West Bengal is a dengue-endemic State in India, with all four dengue serotypes in co-circulation. The present study was conceived to determine the changing trends of circulating dengue virus (DENV) serotypes in five consecutive years (2015-2019) using a geographic information system (GIS) during the dengue season in West Bengal, India. Methods: Molecular serotyping of dengue NS1 sero-reactive serum samples from individuals with ?5 days of fever was performed using conventional nested reverse transcriptase-PCR. GIS techniques such as Getis-Ord Gi* hotspot analysis and heatmap were used to elucidate dengue transmission based on the received NS1-positive cases and vector data analysis was used to point out risk-prone areas. Results: A total of 3915 dengue NS1 sero-positive samples were processed from most parts of West Bengal and among these, 3249 showed RNA positivity. The major circulating serotypes were DENV 3 (63.54%) in 2015, DENV 1 (52.79%) in 2016 and DENV 2 (73.47, 76.04 and 47.15%) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Based on the NS1 positivity, dengue infections were higher in males than females and young adults of 21-30 yr were mostly infected. Getis-Ord Gi* hotspot cluster analysis and heatmap indicate that Kolkata has become a hotspot for dengue outbreaks and serotype plotting on maps confirms a changing trend of predominant serotypes during 2015-2019 in West Bengal. Interpretation & conclusions: Co-circulation of all the four dengue serotypes was observed in this study, but only one serotype became prevalent during an outbreak. Representation of NS1-positive cases and serotype distribution in GIS mapping clearly showed serotypic shift in co-circulation. The findings of this study suggest the need for stringent surveillance in dengue-endemic areas to limit the impact of dengue and implement better vector-control strategies.
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Keywords
Changing trends, dengue serotypes, Getis-Ord Gi* hotspot cluster analysis, GIS mapping, heatmap, outbreaks, West Bengal
Citation
Baskey Upasana, Verma Priya, Mondal Palash, Dutta Supradip, Biswas Aritra, Bakshi Sagnik, Das Raina, Bhaduri Sudipta, Maji Dipankar, Dutta Shanta, Sadhukhan Provash Chandra. Geographic information system-aided evaluation of epidemiological trends of dengue serotypes in West Bengal, India. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2024 Feb; 159(2): 153-162