A syndemic refers to the synergistic interaction between two or more epidemics, where one epidemic exacerbates the effect of the other, increasing the disease burden. A group of researchers from the University of Sao-Paulo has conducted a study to assess whether a prior dengue infection can induce symptomatic COVID-19. The study has been published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Blood samples of 1,285 individuals residing at Mancio Lica, a part of Brazil’s Amazon region, were analyzed before and after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blood samples collected before the first wave of the pandemic were tested for the presence of antibodies against the dengue virus (anti-DENV IgG). The participants were followed up, and blood samples from the same individuals were analyzed again after the first wave of the pandemic for the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2…
