Session 1B: Inaugural Lectures by Fellows/Associates

Dengue Diagnostics Made Easy

Dengue virus infections continue to pose a serious public health threat globally. It is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, carrying any of the four genetically-related but distinct Dengue virus serotypes, known as DENV1-4. Each one of the DENV serotypes can cause a mild dengue fever (DF) and its serious manifestations: Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and Dengue shock syndrome (DSS) in humans. Each day >1 million new infections occur and about 250,000 results in a serious outcome. India remains the epicentre of DENV infections. Global warming is expanding the spread of DENV infections to the new areas. Currently, there is no drug or a broad-use vaccine available for treating or preventing the Dengue menace. Early diagnosis of DENV infections and appropriate clinical management can save lives. Our team at ICGEB has designed novel strategies for early diagnosis of DENV infections at point-of-care settings. The unique “3-in-1” combo Dengue antigen and Dengue Antibody (IgM/IgG) test is able to detect DENV infections from day-1 of fever. It can also differentiate between the first (primary) and the subsequent (secondary) DENV infections. This knowledge is vital for the clinical management of dengue patients, as the secondary dengue infections could turn into DHF and DSS, requiring urgent hospitalizations. The success story of dengue diagnostics will be presented in this talk.