There are 4 serotypes of dengue fever (DENV-1 to 4), and DENV-2 is commonly related to extreme outbreaks, though severity relies upon extra on secondary an infection than on serotype. File picture for illustration solely | Picture by Sandeep Saxena
India could also be coming into a extra harmful part of its dengue epidemic, with a number of strains of the virus now circulating concurrently in massive elements of the nation, elevating issues about elevated danger of extreme illness and posing new challenges to the rollout of future dengue vaccination programmes.
A two-year nationwide surveillance examine by the Viral Analysis and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) community of the Indian Council of Medical Analysis (ICMR) discovered that each one 4 dengue virus serotypes are circulating collectively in a number of elements of the nation, with practically 1 in 14 sufferers contaminated with a couple of serotype on the similar time.
The examine, titled ‘Molecular surveillance of dengue serotypes throughout India, 2023-2025’, analyzed 6,889 laboratory-confirmed dengue samples from 45 laboratories throughout 25 states and union territories and located that DENV-2 stays the predominant serotype, accounting for greater than half of all infections. Nonetheless, researchers stated a broader concern is that a number of serotypes are broadly co-circulating, indicating a excessive diploma of endemicity of dengue.
Eight states and Union Territories reported the presence of all 4 serotypes, and 15 states reported three serotypes co-circulating. Roughly 7% of sufferers have been contaminated with two or extra dengue serotypes concurrently.
The examine additionally discovered that sufferers with co-infections have been extra prone to develop extreme signs of dengue fever, together with dangerously low platelet counts, bleeding problems, and extreme joint ache, than these contaminated with a single serotype. Though this discovering must be confirmed via long-term scientific research, it means that simultaneous an infection with a number of strains could exacerbate illness severity.
There are 4 serotypes of dengue fever (DENV-1 to 4), and DENV-2 is commonly related to extreme outbreaks, though severity relies upon extra on secondary an infection than on serotype.
The report notes that the emergence of extremely endemic infections has implications past scientific care. Though India doesn’t at present embody a dengue vaccine in its common immunization program, its personal vaccine candidates are in superior levels of scientific improvement, and an internationally accredited vaccine not too long ago acquired regulatory approval for import and sale in India.
Continued monitoring of circulating serotypes is vital, the researchers stated, as vaccine efficacy varies between dengue strains and adjustments in main serotypes can have an effect on each outbreak depth and vaccine efficiency.
“Aside from the routine measures taken to stop mosquito breeding, there may be definitely a necessity to include dengue vaccines into public well being applications, initially concentrating on endemic areas,” Gautam Menon, professor of bodily biology at Ashoka College, stated of the necessity for steady surveillance. “However we additionally want extra common research that may alert us to the magnitude of the issue, establish hotspots and provides early warnings about how serotypes are altering. This needs to be ongoing and recurrently reported analysis,” he added.
