Rising COVID-19-dengue co-infections worry docs
New Delhi: In a development that has worried doctors in Delhi, many patients are coming into hospitals with a COVID-19 and dengue co-infection. The national Capital is also witnessing a rise in such co-infection cases, making it a double whammy for healthcare workers here.
Speaking to Millennium Post, Dr Jatin Ahuja, DM, Infectious Diseases at All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said that even though there is no specific literature on the issue yet, the combination of both the infections may increase the severity of a patient's condition. The severity of this combination varies from patient-to-patient and is at the moment difficult
to say. This co-infection if seen in the patient, has the tendency to get more severe," he said.
Explaining what could be the reason for this, he said, "We have seen patients that have both dengue and COVID together and patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and have dengue. Before the second wave, the virus was not having additional features like a decreased platelet count or PSC count, which is similar to that of dengue.
There are symptoms like fever and headache just like in dengue."
He added that both dengue and the second wave of COVID-19 are causing leukopenia, which is a low level of white blood cells in the blood that can interfere with the ability to fight infection.
"But both are different in their manifestation, as COVID-19 has the loss of smell but does not have a rash while dengue has it. Itching is common in dengue but not in COVID-19," he further said.
Most COVID-19 cases and dengue cases are asymptomatic, and in a setting of co-infection, one disease might enhance the severity of the other. Dr Puneet Khanna, Head of Respiratory Medicine at Manipal Hospital said, "We have both patients of COVID and dengue. There is no causal relation between the two but we are getting patients who have got the infections together. But in such cases, the patient is asymptomatic and has dengue."
What's even more challenging is that both the viral diseases do not have any specific antiviral drug or vaccine and therefore, treatment depends on clinical conditions and symptoms. The treatment for both the infections is different.
Dr Jagdeep Chugh, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh added that even though it is not common they are witnessing an inflow of patients with co-infection. "The atmosphere plays an important part here. If a COVID
patient goes out in the open, they are more vulnerable as it is the time of mosquito breeding as well. The mode of transportation however for both the diseases is different," he added.
