Seroprevalence of dengue and chikungunya viruses among urban refugees in Klang Valley, Malaysia

• Main Authors: Sahimin, Norhidayu, Low, Zhao Xuan, Hassandarvish, Pouya, Mohd Hanapi, Izzah Ruzana, Mohd Zain, Siti Nursheena, Yahaya, Hasmawati, Abu Bakar, Sazaly
• Format: Article
• Published: Oxford University Press 2024
• Subjects: QH Natural history; R Medicine (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/45778/; https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trad097

Background: Mosquito-borne diseases pose a significant global public health threat, with Malaysia's Klang Valley experiencing numerous outbreaks in densely populated urban areas.Methods: This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of anti-dengue and anti-chikungunya antibodies among urban refugees in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, and identify associated risk factors.Results: High seroprevalence of anti-dengue immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM (60.0% confidence interval {CI} 55.39 to 64.48] and 9.2% CI 6.77 to 12.25], respectively) were observed among refugees >18 years of age (chi(2)(2)=11.720, p=0.003), Kachin ethnicity (chi(2)(8)=72.253, p<0.001), without formal education (chi(2)(1)=3.856, p=0.050), homes near waste disposal sites (chi(2)(1)=10.378, p=0.001) and refugees who have experienced flooding (chi(2)(1)=5.460, p=0.019). Meanwhile, the overall seroprevalence of anti-chikungunya IgG and IgM was 9.7% (CI 7.15 to 12.73) and 10.8% (CI 8.09 to 13.93), respectively, with ages 12-18 years (chi(2)(2)=6.075, p=0.048), Rohingya ethnicity (chi(2)(8)=31.631, p<0.001) and homes close to waste disposal sites (chi(2)(1)=3.912, p=0.048) being significant risk factors. Results showed a link to poor environmental living conditions, with an increase in the vector population with higher availability of breeding sites and thus exposure to dengue and chikungunya virus.Conclusions: Health education among the community is the key to disease prevention, as there are no specific antiviral drugs for treatment and limited vaccine availability.