Influence of Climate Variability on the Prevalence of Dengue Fever in Mandera County, Kenya

Abstract

Climate variability affects human health by influencing processes that facilitate transmission of infectious diseases. This study aimed at investigating the influence of temperature and precipitation variability on the prevalence of Dengue fever in Mandera County from 1985 to 2014. 196 randomly selected respondents drawn from households within three health facilities’ catchments were interviewed. Meteorological data was used to describe climate variability while Dengue fever was described using data obtained from health records at El Wak Sub County Hospital, Kotulo Health centre and ADRA Hospital. Results showed that temperature significantly varied (t = 7.60, DF = 29, p = 0.0001). Precipitation equally varied (t = 5.660, DF = 29, p = 0.0001). Overall temperature increase was by 0.53°C while annual precipitation amounts increased by 77.1mm. There was an insignificant correlation in Dengue fever occurrence with climate variability (r value of 0.087). The study concluded that climate variability was not significant in Dengue fever transmission in Mandera South Sub County.

Keywords: arboviral disease, climate variability, dengue fever, impact, pathogen, prevalence

DOI: 10.7176/JEES/9-3-06

Publication date:March 31^st 2019