Dengue and COVID‐19, overlapping epidemics? An Analysis from Colombia

Cardona‐Ospina, Jaime A.; Arteaga‐Livias, Kovy; Villamil‐Gómez, Wilmer E.; Pérez‐Díaz, Carlos E.; Katterine Bonilla‐Aldana, D.; Mondragon‐Cardona, Álvaro; Solarte, Marco; Martinez, Ernesto; Millan‐Oñate, Jose; López, Eduardo; López, Pio; Navarro, Juan‐Carlos; Perez‐Garcia, Luis; Mogollon‐Rodriguez, Euler; Rodríguez‐Morales, Alfonso J.; Paniz‐Mondolfi, Alberto

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), has rapidly spread throughout Latin America, a region swept by multiple previous and ongoing epidemics. There are significant concerns that the arrival of COVID‐19 is currently overlapping with other viruses, particularly dengue, in various endo‐epidemic regions across South America. In this report, we analyzed trends for both viral infections in Colombia during the first 20 epidemiological weeks of 2020. From January 1st to May 16th, 2020 (epidemiological weeks, EW, 1‐20), a total of 52,679 cases of dengue and 14,943 cases of COVID‐19 have been confirmed in Colombia. As both conditions may potentially lead to fatal outcomes, especially in patients with chronic co‐morbidities, overlapping infections and co‐occurrence may increase the number of patients requiring intensive care and mechanical ventilation. In regions such as Valle del Cauca, intensified preparation for such scenarios should be pondered, and further studies should be performed to address this critical issue in a timely matter. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.