Abstract

Abstract:

Dengue is a major public health concern for Bangladesh. In addition to its high prevalence in capital Dhaka, it has spread to other parts of Bangladesh. A pilot of Community Based Surveillance has been implemented by Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) and Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) with objectives of early detection of dengue at community and improving community measures. The piloting was conducted from 12 December 2023 to 30 April 2024 in 12 wards of three city corporations of Bangladesh: Dhaka South, Rajshahi and Sylhet. In each ward, 20 community volunteers used a customized application for real-time data collection from selected households to identify, record and report on the suspected cases or alerts. Suspected case was defined as any person of any age with fever or headache and any of the following symptoms: body pain, muscle pain, joint pain, rash, diarrhea and vomiting within the last seven days. NS1 or IgM positive for dengue was considered as confirmed case. Each suspected case was referred to urban health centers for treatment. The pilot covered 45,851 households and 139,000 people: Dhaka South (16%, 17%), Rajshahi (35%, 37%), and Sylhet (49%, 46%). Near-equal gender distribution (male: 49.5%, female: 49.8%) was observed. Median age was 27 years (IQR: 15-40 years). Total 1863 alert was generated where 21 were confirmed as Dengue positive. Among three city corporations, Sylhet reported most dengue alerts (1,043, 56%) and confirmed case (10/21, 1863). This study reported dengue cases at community level using the alerts generated by CBS. It is recommended to integrate CBS into national surveillance system and utilize its findings to improve early detection and timely response for dengue.