Seroepidemiology of dengue in the adult population of Singapore

Urbanization is one of the reasons for the resurgence of dengue in tropical and subtropical countries. We conducted a cross-sectional seroepidemiological study in Singapore to determine the extent at which the Singapore population has been exposed to dengue infections. Dengue antibodies were measures with PanBio Dengue. Of 298 enrolled subjects (age 18-45), 133 (45%) had a positive dengue serology. In multivariate analysis, age and nationality (Singaporean vs non-Singaporean Asians) were found to be significant independent predictors. The odds ratio of dengue seroprevalence increased by 4.13 (95% CI: 2.88-5.93) for every 10 year increase in age. Dengue infections remain a major problem in Singapore.