Double danger: Now, Covid-19 patients contracting dengue too

MUMBAI: City doctors have encountered a handful of curious cases where Covid-19 patients have walked in with dengue-positive reports. With the monsoon expected in 10 days, the Covid-dengue combination — both are viral diseases — could prove a tough challenge for doctors.
Infectious diseases specialist Dr Om Srivasatava, a member of the state task force on Covid, said he has three patients who have tested positive for both.
Physician Dr Pratit Samdani, who consults with Breach Candy Hospital, said he has seen three patients who came with dengue-positive reports but exhibited classic signs of Covid-19. Among them was an 82-year-old man, who had pneumonia — a classic Covid sign — but was admitted for dengue. “His son was stumped when I told him he didn’t have dengue but was suffering from Covid. The man had bilateral pneumonia and was breathless, but had no dengue symptoms at all,” said Samdani, adding that the man’s RT PCR and CT scan confirmed Covid-19. The other two patients too didn’t have any dengue symptoms, such as dropping platelets, typical retro-orbital pain or a splitting headache.
According to Samdani, there could be a “serological lap” between the two viral diseases, but barring a few signs of fever and headache, it shouldn’t be very challenging to differentiate. “Dengue patients wouldn’t have a sore throat or respiratory difficulty as main complaint,” he said.