A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master’s in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and
Technology
There is currently sufficient evidence available indicating that dengue and chikungunya
viruses might be one of the causes of fever in Tanzania. Lately, the dengue outbreak in Dar es
Salaam-Tanzania has raised concerns over the spread and distribution of these arboviruses
with respect to human movements. The present study was conducted to screen for and
chikungunya virus (CHIKV) dengue virus (DENV) from febrile patients in Morogoro
Municipality which had no reports of outbreaks during an inter-epidemic period with high
risk of transmission. Three hundred and twelve febrile individuals presenting to the outpatient
department on selected health centers were tested for viral RNA to evaluate the circulation of
DENV and CHIKV during March-May 2018. DENV and CHIKV detection in sera samples
was performed using multiplex real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
(RT-PCR). Chikungunya virus was detected in four out of 312 screened serum samples
indicating acute cases while no DENV was identified. Chikungunya virus was among the
causes of acute undifferentiated fever among febrile patients in Morogoro municipality with a
lower prevalence of 1.3% highly prevailing amongst female aged 20-49 years. No acute cases
among patients under 10 years of age were detected. The result provides insight into presence
of potentially active circulation of CHIKV among febrile patients seeking medical attention,
in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. Improvement of CHIKV case detection and reporting at
the point of care routine laboratory investigations is critical in reducing misdiagnosis of
mosquito-borne viral infection. Monitoring of arboviral activities in human populations, as
well as mosquitoes, should be performed in order to avoid maintenance of CHIKV that may
lead to future outbreaks.