COVID19,登革热病毒 z-bo 2020-11-02 373

　　The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused tremendous changes in human mobility, which may change the spread of other infectious diseases. Now, researchers reported in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have found that social distance has led to a significant increase in dengue infections in Thailand, while dengue fever in Singapore or Malaysia has not changed.

　　Dengue virus is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito and can cause severe fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. It is estimated that 105 million dengue infections occur every year, with most cases concentrated in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. In this area, COVID-19 has led to the closure of workplaces, the prohibition of mass gatherings, and sometimes complete closures. This provides a natural experiment to assess the impact of reduced personnel movement and workplace exposure on the spread of dengue fever.

　　In this new work, Jue Tao Lim of the National University of Singapore and his colleagues used national surveillance data as of mid-2020 to analyze the number of dengue fever cases in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Information on climate, COVID-19 interventions and overall census data was also obtained.

　　In Thailand, researchers found that social evacuation is expected to result in an increase of 4.32 cases per 100,000 people per month. The main reason for the increase in cases was the increase in residential exposure compared to workplaces, which led to an additional 2008 dengue cases nationwide. However, no significant impact on the spread of dengue fever has been found in Singapore or Malaysia.

　　“The difference in the impact of social distancing policies on reported dengue fever cases across the country is believed to be due to differences in the living structure of the workplace. The increased risk of arbovirus transmission caused by social distancing is mainly due to the increase in residences. In addition to the time of exposure to the media, the researchers said. "[This indicates] it is necessary to understand the impact of geographic location on the risk of dengue transmission under new population mix conditions (for example, under social distancing policies). "