Transmission of dengue among various ethnic groups of Palwal District, Haryana

Introduction: Vector-borne diseases are considered a major public health problem. Dengue is considered one of the major vector-borne diseases because it is transmitted primarily by the Aedes mosquitoes, which spread the virus through their bites. Recent studies suggest the infectious disease burden in the communities. Objective: To assess the socio-demographic and cultural practices of various ethnic groups responsible for dengue transmission in the community. Methodology: In this comprehensive study, cluster sampling and observational methods were used to assess the transmission of dengue in the three clusters of the Palwal District, Haryana, India. A total of 21 visits were made in the randomly selected 150 households of all the clusters and various observations have been made based on socio-demographic and cultural practices of ethnic groups. Results: The study revealed that ethnic groups of cluster-1 have Pucca houses but for clusters- 2 & 3 majority of the population have Kutcha houses. Furthermore, it has also been found that participants of cluster-1 stored water in a closed vessel but in cluster-2 & 3 water was stored in the open vessel and all the participants of three clusters have knowledge about dengue except the females of cluster-3. Conclusion: Many risk factors were identified as the cause of the spread of the disease and risk factors in the community which highlights the individual behavior, socio-economic, cultural and environmental factors that help in promoting the public health interventions aimed at improving the well-being of community members.