34pc dengue-infected children remain undiagnosed

A recent survey has revealed that a staggering 71 per cent of dengue-infected children were hospitalised with one or more critical health complications, including upset stomach, vomiting, abdominal pain, and convulsions.

Besides, around 34 per cent of children with dengue remain undiagnosed despite medical tests.

The study was conducted jointly by Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute and the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research (icddr,b). They disclosed the research findings at an event at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital on Saturday. It is the first-of-its-kind research on dengue-infected children in the country.

One of the most disquieting revelations from the research is the alarming rate of misdiagnosis. The study exposed that dengue test results in various health centers and hospitals often proved to be unreliable, resulting in false negatives.

A meticulous re-examination of samples from 50 children who had initially received negative NSI and IgM test results showed that 34 per cent of the previous results were 'false negatives.'

Simply put, 17 of the 50 children contracted dengue, but did not get their health condition diagnosed in the NSI and IgM tests. Hence, the researchers called for ensuring that the diagnostic methods are more accurate and flawless.

At the event, Jahangir Alam, director of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, and Mustafizur Rahman, a senior scientist at icddr,b, presented the research findings.

The study included 1,039 children who were admitted to Bangladesh Shishu Hospital during the months of June, July, and August. Of them, 722 children underwent a thorough pathological analysis, while the researchers tested blood and nasal swab samples from 104 children to identify the specific dengue virus type afflicting the children.

Some 87 per cent or 904 of the 1039 dengue-infected children came from the two city corporations in Dhaka, with the remaining 13 per cent originating from outside the capital. Among the Dhaka patients, 82 per cent were residents of the Dhaka North City Corporation, and 18 per cent hailed from the Dhaka South City.

The study noticed that 71 per cent of the children were admitted to the hospital with fever and one or more critical symptoms, such as loose stools, vomiting, abdominal pain, and convulsions. A smaller fraction, 10 per cent, were suffering from other ailments.

Of the children, 17 succumbed to their ailments at the hospital.

The study also delved into the genetic variations of the dengue virus and found that 87 per cent of the children were infected with dengue type 2, while the remaining 13 per cent had contracted dengue type 3.