Seroinvestigation of Dengue and Chikungunya Virus Infection After the Megaflood Incidence in Sangli, Western India

Dengue and chikungunya infections have become major public health issues, with reports of endemic cases in over 100 countries. The current study was undertaken to investigate the outbreak of dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) after the megafloods in Sangli and its suburban area. The sample of patients suspected for dengue or chikungunya infection was assessed for serological investigation between August and December 2019 at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), Miraj, Maharashtra. A positive IgM antibody capture ELISA test was used to diagnose dengue and chikungunya in blood samples from 1872 suspected patients. Of the 1694 suspected cases of dengue that were tested with IgM Elisa, 828 cases were found to be positive for dengue. On the other hand, 55 cases were found to have the chikungunya infection out of 178 total patients screened. In addition to this, 41 patients were found to be positive for the coinfection with both viruses. Other than fever, two clinical features significantly correlate with dengue, namely thrombocytopenia (68.5%) and upper respiratory tract infection (30.7%), while arthralgia (76.3%) and thrombocytopenia (21.8%) were the clinical features strongly associated with chikungunya. In the patients manifesting the coinfection of dengue and chikungunya, upper respiratory tract infection (31.7%), thrombocytopenia (26.8%), and hemorrhagic manifestations (24.3%) were significantly associated with the coinfection. The current seroinvestigation study confirms a concurrent outbreak of dengue and chikungunya in Sangli and its suburban area located in western India.