icipe Digital Repository

Serological evidence of Flavivirus circulation in human populations in Northern Kenya: an assessment of disease risk 2016–2017

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.author Chepkorir, E.
dc.contributor.author Tchouassi, D. P.
dc.contributor.author Konongoi, S. L.
dc.contributor.author Lutomiah, J.
dc.contributor.author Tigoi, C.
dc.contributor.author Irura, Z.
dc.contributor.author Eyase, F.
dc.contributor.author Venter, M.
dc.contributor.author Sang, R.
dc.date.accessioned 2020-04-08T08:56:57Z
dc.date.available 2020-04-08T08:56:57Z
dc.date.issued 2019
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1261
dc.description Research Article en_US
dc.description.abstract Background: Yellow fever, Dengue, West Nile and Zika viruses are re-emerging mosquito-borne Flaviviruses of public health concern. However, the extent of human exposure to these viruses and associated disease burden in Kenya and Africa at large remains unknown. We assessed the seroprevalence of Yellow fever and other Flaviviruses in human populations in West Pokot and Turkana Counties of Kenya. These areas border Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia where recent outbreaks of Yellow fever and Dengue have been reported, with possibility of spillover to Kenya. Methodology: Human serum samples collected through a cross-sectional survey in West Pokot and Turkana Counties were screened for neutralizing antibodies to Yellow fever, Dengue-2, West Nile and Zika virus using the Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT). Seroprevalence was compared by county, site and important human demographic characteristics. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were estimated using Firth logistic regression model. Results: Of 877 samples tested, 127 neutralized with at least one of the four flaviviruses (14.5, 95% CI 12.3–17.0%), with a higher proportion in Turkana (21.1%, n = 87/413) than in West Pokot (8.6%, n = 40/464). Zika virus seroprevalence was significantly higher in West Pokot (7.11%) than in Turkana County (0.24%; χ 2 P < 0.0001). A significantly higher Yellow fever virus seroprevalence was also observed in Turkana (10.7%) compared to West Pokot (1.29%; χ 2 P < 0.0001). A high prevalence of West Nile virus was detected in Turkana County only (10.2%) while Dengue was only detected in one sample, from West Pokot. The odds of infection with West Nile virus was significantly higher in males than in females (aOR = 2.55, 95% CI 1.22–5.34). Similarly, the risk of Zika virus infection in West Pokot was twice higher in males than females (aOR = 2.01, 95% CI 0.91–4.41). Conclusion: Evidence of neutralizing antibodies to West Nile and Zika viruses indicates that they have been circulating undetected in human populations in these areas. While the observed Yellow Fever prevalence in Turkana and West Pokot Counties may imply virus activity, we speculate that this could also be as a result of vaccination following the Yellow Fever outbreak in the Omo river valley, South Sudan and Uganda across the border. en_US
dc.description.sponsorship National Institutes of Health (NIH), Grant No. 1R01AI099736-01A1 to RS; UK Aid from the UK Government; Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); and the Kenyan Government. en_US
dc.publisher BMC en_US
dc.rights Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States *
dc.rights.uri http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ *
dc.subject Dengue virus en_US
dc.subject Yellow fever virus en_US
dc.subject West Nile virus en_US
dc.subject Zika virus en_US
dc.subject Seroprevalence en_US
dc.subject Plaque reduction neutralization test en_US
dc.subject Flaviviruses risk assessment en_US
dc.subject Northern Kenya en_US
dc.title Serological evidence of Flavivirus circulation in human populations in Northern Kenya: an assessment of disease risk 2016–2017 en_US
dc.type Article en_US


Files in this item

The following license files are associated with this item:

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

Search icipe Repository


Advanced Search

Browse

My Account