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. 2022 Feb 10;16(2):e0009848.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009848. eCollection 2022 Feb.

Seroprevalence of dengue, Zika, chikungunya and Ross River viruses across the Solomon Islands

Tanya L Russell  1 , Paul F Horwood  1   2 , Humpress Harrington  3   4 , Allan Apairamo  5 , Nathan J Kama  5 , Albino Bobogare  5 , David MacLaren  3 , Thomas R Burkot  1
Affiliations

Seroprevalence of dengue, Zika, chikungunya and Ross River viruses across the Solomon Islands

Tanya L Russell et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. .

Abstract

Across the Pacific, and including in the Solomon Islands, outbreaks of arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are increasing in frequency, scale and impact. Outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease have the potential to overwhelm the health systems of small island nations. This study mapped the seroprevalence of dengue, Zika, chikungunya and Ross River viruses in 5 study sites in the Solomon Islands. Serum samples from 1,021 participants were analysed by ELISA. Overall, 56% of participants were flavivirus-seropositive for dengue (28%), Zika (1%) or both flaviviruses (27%); and 53% of participants were alphavirus-seropositive for chikungunya (3%), Ross River virus (31%) or both alphaviruses (18%). Seroprevalence for both flaviviruses and alphaviruses varied by village and age of the participant. The most prevalent arboviruses in the Solomon Islands were dengue and Ross River virus. The high seroprevalence of dengue suggests that herd immunity may be a driver of dengue outbreak dynamics in the Solomon Islands. Despite being undetected prior to this survey, serology results suggest that Ross River virus transmission is endemic. There is a real need to increase the diagnostic capacities for each of the arboviruses to support effective case management and to provide timely information to inform vector control efforts and other outbreak mitigation interventions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Map of the Solomon Islands (-8.0° S, 157.0° E) showing villages in the study sites of: A) Guadalcanal, B) Isabel, C) West Malaita, and D) East Malaita. The base map was obtained from http://diva-gis.org/data.
Fig 2
Fig 2. The seroprevalence of flaviviruses across sub-areas in the Solomon Islands.
The darker blue colour represents samples that were flavivirus-positive for dengue or Zika alone. The lighter blue colour represents samples that were positive for both dengue and Zika.
Fig 3
Fig 3. The seroprevalence of alphaviruses across villages in the Solomon Islands.
The darker blue colour represents samples that were alphavirus-positive for chikungunya or Ross River virus alone. The lighter blue colour represents samples that were positive for both chikungunya and Ross River virus.
Fig 4
Fig 4. The seroprevalence of flaviviruses and alphavirus across different age groups in the Solomon Islands.
The darker blue colour represents samples that were positive for that particular virus alone. The lighter blue colour represents samples that were positive for both of the flaviviruses (dengue and Zika) or both of the alphaviruses (chikungunya and Ross River virus).
Fig 5
Fig 5. The seroprevalence of flaviviruses and alphavirus across different study sites in the Solomon Islands.
The darker blue colour represents samples that were positive for that particular virus alone. The lighter blue colour represents samples that were positive for both of the flaviviruses (dengue and Zika) or both of the alphaviruses (chikungunya and Ross River).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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