DENGUE/DHF UPDATE (15): AFRICA (CHAD) FIRST REPORT
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Mon 16 Oct 2023
Source: CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy)
[edited]
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/dengue/chad-reports-its-first-dengue-outbreak
Chad has reported its 1st dengue outbreak, though it has experienced
other arbovirus outbreaks before, including chikungunya and yellow
fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today [16 Oct 2023].
The country’s health ministry declared an outbreak on 15 Aug 2023, and
so far 1342 suspected cases have been reported, 41 of them lab
confirmed. One death was reported among the patients with
lab-confirmed cases.
The outbreak started in Ouaddai province in eastern Chad, currently
the outbreak epicenter. Illnesses have also been reported in 3 other
provinces. So far, the dengue virus serotype that is spreading in the
country isn’t known.
The WHO said Chad has limited surveillance, clinical, and lab
capacities. It put the risk of further spread as high, owing to
favorable conditions for mosquito spread and an evolving humanitarian
crisis due to an influx of refugees from Sudan. The risk to the region
is moderate, given movement of Sudanese refugees and Chad nationals,
the WHO said, adding that the global threat from the event is low.
Chad’s last mosquito-borne illness outbreak occurred in 2020, when it
experienced a chikungunya outbreak that resulted in more than 34 000
cases.