Dengue epidemic management in a developing country

Context: Dengue epidemic causes a wide spectrum of illness ranging from mild asymptomatic illness to severe fatal dengue. The cumulative dengue diseases burden has attained an unprecedented proportion in recent times with a sharp increase in the size of the human population at risk. Aims: Use of the WHO criteria (2012) for triage of dengue patients in an epidemic in a developing country with resource crunch of trained manpower and infrastructure. Settings and Design: The study was a retrospective and descriptive study carried out in a tertiary center in New Delhi, India during the dengue epidemic of 2013. Materials and Methods: Triage of dengue cases were done in an outpatient department setting as per latest WHO guidelines 2012 and only those cases with danger signs or severe dengue were admitted. A combination of serological studies involving nonstructural protein 1 antigen, IgM and IgG antibodies were used for diagnosis. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was done by SPSS version 19 and P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: We studied the clinical, biochemical and serological profile of the inpatients retrospectively. Active participation of parents has to be utilized to augment the monitoring of patients in a developing country with manpower and infrastructure resources crunch. Conclusion: In a developing country like India, with an ever exploding population, an epidemic of dengue causes a severe manpower and resources’ crunch. Use of the WHO criteria for triage of dengue patients in an epidemic can help in effective management of dengue cases in an epidemic situation