COVID-19 and dengue are viral diseases that cause fever, general illness, anorexia, headache and, sometimes, some digestive symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.

An update on the similarities and differences between both ailments, published by the Cuban Journal of Pediatrics, highlights that the coexistence of these diseases forces doctors and other health personnel to know their particularities in order to make a differential diagnosis.

The new coronavirus produces cough and other respiratory symptoms, which is not frequent in dengue but can also cause them, according to a note published on the Cuban health portal, Infomed.

Anosmia (lack of smell) and hypogeusia (impaired taste sensitivity) are characteristics of COVID-19, although some dengue patients report not finding the taste of food, the research indicates.

According to specialists, epidemiological investigation is essential for diagnosis, but the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is essential for its confirmation, although other studies are also useful.

Both viral diseases have a febrile and a critical period, and multisystem inflammatory syndrome is the severe form of COVID-19 and hypovolemic shock in dengue; they do not have a recognized antiviral drug, but rather various treatments aimed mainly at the host.

Dengue still does not have an effective vaccine as they exist for the new coronavirus, among them, the Cuban Soberana 02 and Abdala. The greatest similarity of both diseases lies in the need to educate health personnel and the entire population in their knowledge and management.

For this reason, in the case of COVID-19, the main antidote to avoid contagion is prevention, while to prevent dengue epidemics is of vital importance the elimination of mosquito breeding sites, the research underlines.