GHP Target Area: Dengue in Africa Presentation

Evaluations of Rapid Diagnostic Tests (A Public Health Program) to Address Dengue in Africa

• Dengue causes cause significant humanitarian and economic hardship;
• Various public health programs have been used to control dengue fever in Africa;
• A rapid diagnostic test has been used as a public health program to deal with any emerging cases of the fever (Ligami & Buguzi, 2014);
• A rapid diagnostic test offers opportunities for point-of-care diagnosis immediately.

Simple rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) were found to be effective because they were:

• Affordable in low resource areas;
• Sensitive (few false-negatives);
• Specific (few false-positives);
• User-friendly (simple to perform and requiring minimal training);
• Rapid (to enable treatment at first visit) and Robust (does not require refrigerated storage);
• Equipment-free;
• Delivered to those who need it.

Experts, however, have warned of substandard performance for the diagnosis of acute dengue (Blacksell, 2012).

Educational Materials For Dengue in Africa

Unusual Manifestations of Dengue Fever in Children

• Complications result from prolonged shock with severe bleeding in various organs, seizure and effusions;
• Unusual central nervous system manifestations, including convulsions, spasticity, change in consciousness and transient paresis that may lead to focal occlusion or hemorrhage;
• Fatal cases manifest encephalitic;
• Encephalopathy related to acute liver failure with elevated liver enzymes and renal failure in terminal stages;
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Prevention and Control Measures

• Environmental management: any change that prevents or minimizes vector breeding;
• Personal Protection: use various strategies to protect self from vectors;
• Biological Control: use of biological control agents which are directed against the larval stages of dengue vectors;
• Chemical Control: fumigation to control vectors;
• Community Participation: communities involved in the planning and conducting local vector control activities.

References

Blacksell, S. D. (2012). Commercial Dengue Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Point-of-Care Application: Recent Evaluations and Future Needs? Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, 2012, 151967.

Ligami, C., & Buguzi, S. (2014). The Public health nightmare: East Africa put on high alert over dengue fever outbreak. EastAfrican. Web.