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Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors
Published on: September 13, 2018
Factors for arboviral seropositivity in children in Teso South Sub County, Kenya
Mary Inziani1, Jane Mawia Kilonzo2, Marthaclaire Kerubo2
1Centre for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
Insights
Arbovirus infections like Dengue Virus (DENV) and West Nile Virus (WNV) are common in Kenyan children. Risk factors include female gender, age, and inadequate use of mosquito nets, highlighting the need for targeted prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Medical Entomology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Arboviruses such as Yellow Fever Virus (YFV), Dengue Virus (DENV), Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV), and West Nile Virus (WNV) are significant causes of outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Identifying risk factors for arbovirus infections in children is crucial for developing effective diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors associated with seropositivity to YFV, DENV, CHIKV, and WNV among children in Teso South Sub-County, Western Kenya.
Main Methods:
- A survey of 656 children aged 1-12 years was conducted at two health facilities.
- Data on socio-demographics, environment, behavior, and medical history were collected using questionnaires.
- Indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) were used for serological screening, and multinomial logistic regression analyzed factors associated with seroprevalence.
Main Results:
- Overall, 27.7% of children showed seropositivity for at least one arbovirus, with DENV (15.7%) and WNV (9.6%) being most prevalent.
- Factors associated with any arbovirus infection included female gender, older age groups (6-12 years), non-parental primary caregiver, and use of unspecified bed net brands.
- Specific arboviruses showed distinct associations: DENV with female gender and younger age (6-9 years); CHIKV with insect repellent use and lack of bed net usage; WNV with age over 3 years, urban living, specific bed net types, and certain house roofing materials.
Conclusions:
- Childhood arbovirus exposure is linked to age, gender, caregiving arrangements, mosquito net usage, insect repellent use, and housing characteristics.
- Interventions should focus on improving housing, educating on protective measures like bed nets and repellents, and implementing environmental mosquito control in endemic regions.
Background:
Arboviruses like Yellow Fever Virus (YFV), Dengue Virus (DENV), Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV), and West Nile Virus (WNV) frequently cause outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa. Identifying risk factors in children can improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies. This study identified factors associated with seropositivity to YFV, DENV, CHIKV and WNV among children in Teso South Sub-County, Western Kenya.
Methods:
This survey involved 656 children aged 1-12 years, enrolled at two health facilities. Socio-demographic, environmental, behavioral, and medical information was collected via a questionnaire. Serological screening for antibodies to YFV, DENV, CHIKV, and WNV was performed using Indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays. The collected data was summarized using descriptive statistics. Factors associated with seroprevalence were examined using multinomial logistic regression.
Results:
Overall, 27.7% of children were seropositive for at least one arbovirus: 15.7% for DENV, 9.6% for WNV, 5.6% for CHIKV, and 4.4% for YFV. Factors associated with any arbovirus were: female gender, age 6-9 and 9-12 years, non-parent primary caregiver, and use of unknown bed nets brand (p < 0.05). YFV seropositivity was not associated with any of the risk factors, while DENV was associated with female gender and age 6-9 years (p < 0.05). CHIKV was associated with use of insect repellents and not using any mosquito bed nets. WNV seropositivity was significantly higher in all children aged above 3 years, those who lived in town/urban areas, use of olyset, supanet and unknown bed nets and in those who lived in houses roofed with tiles and iron sheets (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
Arbovirus exposure among children is influenced by age, female gender, non-parental primary care giver, failure to use mosquito bed nets, type of bed net, use of insect repellents, and house roofing material. Interventions targeting housing improvements, education on bed net and mosquito repellent use, and environmental mosquito control can reduce infection risks in endemic areas.
