Similar symptoms of dengue, corona create confusion

Islamabad: The similar symptoms of dengue fever and Covid-19 at the initial stage have not only become a problem for the patients but also for the medical physicians who are carefully adopting health protocols to treat them.

The information shared by the local people revealed that many people got confused whether they were suffering from dengue fever or got infected by the coronavirus because the symptoms in both cases were quite similar at the initial stage.

Dr. Fareeha Qayyum, a general physician, said the medical practitioners are facing the challenge due to the possibility of dengue and Covid-19 coinfection in areas with overlapping outbreaks.

“In the acute phases of both infections, symptoms are similar and overlap, which may delay appropriate diagnosis and treatment,” she said.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of a spike in dengue cases in the country. It stated that the post-monsoon weather conditions are conducive to the spread of vector-borne illness. It also mentioned eight major cities including Rawalpindi and Islamabad as likely hotspots that would be particularly vulnerable to the Aedes aegypti onslaught till Nov 20.

Coinfection of Covid-19 and dengue poses another challenge for accurate diagnosis and treatment of these viral diseases. The initial symptoms of co-infected patients such as fever, aches, and rash are seen to be similar; the distinction can be made as the disease progresses.

Thus, it is difficult to distinguish between dengue and Covid-19 at the initial stage because they pose similar clinical and laboratory features.

Dr. Mansoor Subhani, a senior physician, said that complications raise when Covid-19 infection gives false-positive results for dengue in the rapid serological tests.