Newer Dengue variant, DENV-2 spotted: Know why doctors are raising an alarm

While there are some signs of COVID-19 beginning to slow down in the country and vaccinations on a constant rise, newer worries have emerged in the form of a sharp increase in dengue cases across India. Even though the dengue epidemic has been somewhat under control in the past years, doctors are now reporting a higher than ever reporting of dengue cases, that too, with the presence of a newer variant.

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While we have come to see the damage caused by the Delta variant of the SARS-COV-2 virus, with the worrying surge observed with Dengue cases, experts have said that a new variant of the Dengue virus, which has been observed in over 11 states in the country, is adding caseloads and quite lethal in nature.

Not only is the new variant a recent discovery, it can add to our tensions, especially at a time when it can be difficult to differentiate or tell COVID-19 symptoms apart. Here's all you need to know...

11 Indian states, including Kerala, Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha have recorded a staggering uptick of dengue infections in the past one and a half months. While the monsoon season generally records some cases of dengue, this year, cases pertaining to the mosquito-borne viral illness have risen sharply, along with a rise in COVID-19 cases as well.

As per official reports, of the four serotypes of the dengue virus, DENV-2, or the strain D2 is the current one in circulation which is not just fuelling a severity in cases, but also leading to more casualties. Balram Bhargava, Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also stated that the strain is particularly threatening and capable of inducing mortality, and one of the reasons behind the mysterious outbreak which claimed many lives in western UP.

One of the prime reasons as to why the DENV strain is making many worry is that severity in cases being observed. Across states, not only has there been a higher detection of dengue cases than usual, some states like UP and Kerala have also seen a higher volume of people , especially children being hospitalized for treatment, and many deaths have been recorded too. This , officials state, is particularly because of the D2 strain of the mosquito-borne virus. While most times DENV strains cause acute or mild flu-like illness, particular strains of DENV, such as D2 have been particularly associated with severe symptoms and intensity of symptoms, which can also lead to death if not managed in time. Some medical authorities have also cited the DENV-2's apparent capability to facilitate viral entry, and cause the infamous dengue-shock syndrome or the dengue-hemorrhagic fever.

Primarily, while it is the dengue virus which causes the dreaded illness, it is known to take shape into four forms, namely D1, D2, D3 and D4.

The variations of the DENV infection, much like COVID-19 imply that it raises the stakes for someone to fall ill, or have features which can make it threatening. What experts also say is that the presence of more worrying dengue strains could mean that people who have been previously infected can get reinfected too, since they would have immunity that is protective against one of the strains only (which infected them before).

While variants of coronavirus are said to spread rapidly and cause presymptomatic illness, it should be remembered that dengue infections are spread through bites of virus-carrying mosquitoes, and not necessary through the spread of direct-respiratory droplets spread by an infected person. Having said that, what makes the current variation, DENV-2 so concerning is that it can spread fast, cause severe illness and mortality if not managed well. More so, the DENV-2 can be threatening for someone who has been previously infected by one dengue serotype, and then gets infected by this variant.

Since this is also the time when COVID-19 continues to be a big concern, dengue symptoms should not be treated lightly. However, since both the infections cause a host of similar symptoms, it can be a bit difficult to tell the symptoms apart. There can also be a lot of overlapping symptoms, and some notable differences too. Hence, it is crucial to pay attention.

Dengue infection can lead to symptoms like extremely high fever, severe headache, joint and muscle aches and at the same time, present gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, stomach ache and diarrhoea.

COVID on the other hand can cause a host of symptoms, which could strike people differently. Be it a mild, moderate or severe infection, some of the common features are rising fever, chills, cough, cold, sore throat, difficulty breathing, headache, myalgia, intense fatigue and weakness- all of which could be present with dengue and malaria in different ways.

These however, can be some of the ways to differentiate between the two, without undergoing a test or tracing contact and suspected exposure:

-Loss of smell and taste and other upper respiratory tract inflammation signs may only be present in COVID-19, not dengue.

-Shortness of breath, chest pain or breathing issues do not typically present with dengue.

-Dengue can often start with the onset of a headache or weakness, which may not always be the case if you have been exposed to COVID-19.

While dengue remains a manageable disease which can be easily prevented (by following proper precautions), the treatment for dengue remains on symptomatic management. Hospitalization may be required in some cases, but most people recover well in time, if symptoms are properly diagnosed and treated.