The simultaneous crises of dengue and COVID-19 in Pakistan: a double hazard for the country’s debilitated healthcare system

Abstract

Dengue fever is an arthropod-borne viral illness caused by four dengue virus serotypes (DENV 1–4), spread by Aedes mosquitos. Common symptoms of dengue include high peak temperature, headache, myalgia, and malaise following infection, with a rash emerging after 3 to 4 days. More than half of the world's population lives in dengue-endemic areas. Every year, around 100 million dengue cases are reported, with Southeast Asia comprising the majority. Nearly every day, there is a breakout of dengue infections in many areas of Pakistan, in addition to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, combating the dual burden of dengue and COVID-19 is difficult for the nation's healthcare system. Misdiagnosis owing to overlapping symptoms with COVID-19, overburdening of the healthcare system, and a lack of appropriate vaccination are some of the obstacles for dengue infection management. The government of Pakistan is pursuing a variety of measures to combat dengue fever outbreaks, including, The Pakistan Red Crescent Society was asked by the Department of Malaria Control Program to aid in promoting awareness and organizing clean-up campaigns in polluted regions and stagnant water for vector control.

Does COVID-19 lockdowns have impacted on global dengue burden? A special focus to India

“…In addition, in the case of Pakistan, less than 0.75 percent of GDP is used for the healthcare system. Thus, it was the worse conditions for the underdeveloped countries to tackle the outbreak of COVID-19 [32,98].…”

“…Few studies have shown the relationship between the impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns and social behaviour on the number of Dengue cases in different parts of the world including southeast Asian countries [32][33][34]. But the detailed and systematic analysis of the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns with respect to the social behavior of people on the number of dengue cases in different parts of the world during the pre-pandemic and pandemic of COVID-19 is still not well studied.…”

The impact of COVID-19 followed by extreme flooding on vector borne diseases in Pakistan: A mini narrative review

“…Efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in residential and commercial buildings by providing more outdoor spaces has increased mosquito exposure and the risk of VBD transmission [ 31 ]. Lockdowns have disrupted detection and reporting of cases by routine surveillance systems [ 32 ]. Among those infected individuals who do seek treatment, availability of testing has been restricted as many laboratories are prioritizing COVID-19 testing in the face of overwhelming demand [ 33 ].…”

Genomic Characterization of Dengue Virus Outbreak in 2022 from Pakistan

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the dengue virus infects 50 to 100 million people globally every year [2]. Southeast Asia has the highest prevalence of disease with a fatality rate of 70%, followed by Latin America [3] Furthermore, around 16% of cases are reported in Africa is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in (which was not certified by peer review) and 14% in Europe annually [4,5]. In Pakistan, the first documented case of dengue fever occurred in 1994 The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination (NHSRC) reports that since 1994, there have been 1,46,891 laboratory-confirmed cases nationwide, along with 859 associated deaths [6].…”