A case-control study to determine the risk factors of dengue infections in endemic dengue area in Yemen
Abstract
Background and aims: The effectiveness of dengue prevention in a subtropical nation such as Yemen, where the climate encourages the establishment of Aedes mosquito vectors, mostly rests on the accurate identification and management of risk factors. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate potential risk variables and how they relate to dengue infection.
Methods: The study included 73 dengue patients (cases) and 146 controls (non-dengue patients admitted to other departments of the same hospitals: Al-Thawra General Hospital, Al-Amal Al-Arabi Hospital, and Al Hodeida Hospital in Al-Hodeida City, during the period from October 2024 to May 2025). Data were collected from the cases and controls by a standard questionnaire of dengue infection risk factors.
Results: Differences in the risk of dengue virus infection were not observed between sexes. However, significant associations were found in the age groups: children under five years had an odds ratio of 3.6 (CI: 1.5 9.1, x2: 9.7, p: 0.001), and the 26–40 year age group had an odds ratio of 2.2 (CI: 1.1–4.5, x2: 5.4, p: 0.009). Statistically significant associations were found between various risk factors and dengue fever infection. These include sleeping without mosquito nets (probability ratio 2.7), exposure to stored water tanks (4.6), wearing short-sleeved clothing (8.3), the presence of swamps and sewage (3.9), vegetation around homes (4.8), and keeping windows/doors open (7.0). All associations had a p-value of less than 0.001, demonstrating strong statistical significance.
Conclusions: Particularly in urban regions with high infection rates, these findings can aid in the creation of focused intervention tactics and public health awareness messages, such as encouraging personal preventive measures and community awareness campaigns. However, to improve the generalizability of these findings and their applicability to public policy, more study with bigger samples in various geographic, social, and environmental contexts is required.
