Title: COVID 19 with Dengue Virus – Coinfection Double trouble?

Authors: Urvashi Khan, Anil Kumar, Ashok Kumar

 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v8i10.44

Abstract

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 Outbreak already declared as global pandemic by WHO. During the covid 19 pandemic, post rainy season, there has been a surge of dengue infection in dengue endemic countries in the world. as most of the world is already struggling to fight with covid disease, dengue epidemic  coinfection could lead to potentially lethal combination with new challenges and unpredictable outcomes. coinfection with overlapping signs and symptoms makes it  difficult  to diagnose and treat.

Dengue is the most extensively spread mosquito-borne disease; endemic in more than 100 countries. Dengue caused by DNEV virus is a public health concern in India with manifestations ranging from mild dengue fever to dengue shock syndrome.[1] As per the WHO 1997 classification, symptomatic dengue virus infection has been classified into dengue fever (DF), dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). The revised WHO classification of 2009 categorizes dengue patients according to different levels of severity as dengue without warning signs, dengue with warning signs (abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, fluid accumulation, mucosal bleeding, lethargy, liver enlargement, increasing haematocrit with decreasing platelets) and severe dengue.[2] In 2019, there was 1,36,422 no. of dengue cases.[3] COVID 19 coinciding with the peak of the dengue season – during the rainy seasons is the recent yet significant outbreak in the country.[4] As of September 2020, there are 7236995  of COVID 19 confirmed cases in India, with 110617  deaths[5]. Surveillance for dengue fever in India is conducted through a network of more than 600 sentinel hospitals under the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP)[6], Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP)[7] and a network of 52 Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) established by Department of Health Research[8]

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Corresponding Author

Anil Kumar

DNB, IDCCM, IFCCM, MNAMS, Senior consultant & Head, Department of Anaesthesiology & Critical Care  Medicine, Santosh Medical College & Hospitals