Dengue and COVID-19 infections in the ASEAN region: a concurrent outbreak of viral diseases

Wiyono, Lowilius; Rocha, Ian Christoper N; Cedeño, Trisha Denise D; Miranda, Adriana Viola; Lucero-Prisno Iii, Don Eliseo

The countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been dealing with dengue outbreaks for decades, being one of the regions with high dengue infection cases globally. These outbreaks are happening on top of the COVID-19 pandemic that is causing havoc among these ten countries. Both infectious diseases have caused a tremendous burden for the countries in the region-from infection control to the economic impact. This increasing number of cases happened with the contribution of the disruption in the pathogen-host-vector relationship, caused by the change of human behaviour during the pandemic period, and aggravated by the implementation of lockdowns and social distancing policies. These had several consequences, including limiting the coverage of dengue preventive programs and delaying the medical management of both diseases due to co-infection and misdiagnosis. It is of utmost importance to maintain the awareness of the population of both diseases and to devise strategies on dengue vector control to properly address the infection with digitalization and remote surveillance. Similarly, critical triage algorithms and further research are also needed to address co-infection and misdiagnosis. Management of COVID-19 using vaccination also should be optimized to subside the pandemic.