Dengue Virus Outbreak in the Year 2006 at a Tertiary Care Centre in Sindh

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome of 116 patients with suspected / confirmed diagnosis of Dengue fever at our tertiary care setup. DESIGN: A descriptive study SETTING: Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad / Jamshoro. Study was carried out between October and December 2006. METHODS: This study was conducted on 116 patients who were admitted in Liaquat University Hospital. Case definition was high grade fever with leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. RESULTS: Only 52 out of 116 patients were confirmed as having Dengue IgM antibodies. The highest sufferers of Dengue fever were young adults. Almost all cases developed mild to moderate thrombocytopenia and leucopenia. Most patients recovered spontaneously in less than 10 days. Only 3 patients expired. CONCLUSION: Dengue fever is endemic in sub-Saharan region and in South Asia including Pakistan. Out-breaks occur from time to time. The current outbreak being the 3rd episode in the last 13 years points towards the importance of comprehensive research for the prevention and control of the disease. Although case fatality rates are low however it must be considered as public health problem and serious efforts shall be undertaken for public awareness and vector control.