Characterization of dengue outbreak in neighborhoods of Esmeraldas Parish

Abstract

Introduction: One of the main problems in tropical countries are vector-borne diseases. Among them we have dengue, zika and chikungunya, whose vector is the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito. In Ecuador, dengue represents a priority public health problem, since the rebound in dengue in 1988 it has presented several epidemic cycles. Objective: Due to the above, it is established as the objective of the investigation, to characterize the dengue outbreak that occurred in the period January - February of the year 2019, in neighborhoods of the Esmeraldas parish, to demonstrate which factors continue to recur in the area. Materials and methods: The research was quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive. The sample was non-probabilistic, the patients presented spontaneously, variables such as age, occupation, symptoms, self-medication, type of self-prescribed medication, reinfection, travel to endemic areas, and housing conditions were taken into account. The samples were analyzed using a rapid test Wondfo Whole Blood/Serum/Plasma test for NSI, IgG and IgM; at the facilities of the School of Clinical Laboratory of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCESE). The data were processed in Excel and analyzed using the SPSS statistical program. Results: The results obtained allowed us to characterize this outbreak by relating the different variables, finding that in most cases it is DSSA, dengue without alarm symptoms and that it does not distinguish age, sex, or occupation in contagion. Also, it was found that most people self-medicate, treating themselves with paracetamol when mild symptoms persist for more than 5 days and they do not go to the doctor. Conclusion: These results allowed us to conclude that this outbreak did not present any relevant characteristic that differentiates it from the previous ones and that the factors and causes remain, people are unaware of the causes and prevention of infection with the virus.