Dengue Mimickers: Which Clinical Conditions Can Resemble Dengue Fever?

Epidemics and outbreaks caused by the dengue virus pose risks to populations and have high mortality rates, causing burdens and economic costs worldwide. Brazil recently experienced an explosive increase in the number of dengue cases and fatalities. Dengue is an acute febrile illness that can progress to severe forms.

The impact of COVID-19 mobility restrictions on dengue transmission in urban areas.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have been forced to implement mobility restrictions to slow down the spread of SARS-CoV-2. These restrictions have also played a significant role in controlling the spread of other diseases, including those that do not require direct contact between individuals for transmission, such as dengue. In this study, we investigate the impact of human mobility on the dynamics of dengue transmission in a large metropolis.

Assessment of immune responses to a Comirnaty® booster following CoronaVac® vaccination in healthcare workers.

Background: The immunological response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and immunisation is variable.

Objectives: To describe the humoral immune response by correlating IgA and IgG antibodies with NAbs titration following CoronaVac® immunisation and an mRNA (Comirnaty®) booster among healthcare workers (HCWs) and to compare the cytokine and interleukin profiles between HCWs vaccinated with CoronaVac and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected patients.

Methods: Samples from 133 HCWs collected at 20 (T1) and 90 (T2) days after CoronaVac immunisation and 15 (T3) days after a booster dose with the Comirnaty vaccine were analysed for IgA and IgG EIA and neutralisation assay.

Usefulness of minimally invasive autopsy in the diagnosis of arboviruses to increase the sensitivity of the Epidemiological Surveillance System in Ceará, Brazil.

Objective: To create a protocol for performing minimally invasive autopsies (MIA) in detecting deaths from arboviruses and report preliminary data from its application in Ceará state, Brazil.

Methods: Training was provided to medical pathologists on MIA.

Results: A protocol was established for performing MIA, defining criteria for sample collection, storage methods, and diagnoses to be carried out according to the type of biological sample; 43 MIAs were performed in three months.

Extra-articular Manifestations of Chikungunya.

Chikungunya fever (CHIK) is a neglected tropical disease associated with chronic arthritis. CHIK is usually a self-limiting condition; however, extra-articular manifestations present as atypical illness in a minority of patients. These atypical features may mimic other conditions and potentially distract physicians from the true diagnosis.

Epidemiology and Economic Burden of Chikungunya: A Systematic Literature Review.

Chikungunya (CHIK) is a re-emerging viral infection endemic in tropical and subtropical areas. While the typical clinical presentation is an acute febrile syndrome, long-term articular complications and even death can occur. This review characterizes the global epidemiological and economic burden of chikungunya.

Prevalence and risk factors for long COVID after mild disease: A cohort study with a symptomatic control group.

Background: There is limited data on the prevalence and risk factors for long COVID and few prospective studies with appropriate control groups and adequate sample sizes. We performed a prospective study to determine the prevalence and risk factors for long COVID.

Methods: We recruited individuals aged ≥15 years who were clinically suspected of having an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection from September 2020 to April 2021.

Profile of Chikungunya Patients with Ophthalmological Manifestations in a Reference Center in Brazil.

To evaluate the profile of ophthalmological manifestations of patients with chikungunya accompanied by the ophthalmology service at a reference center in the northeast region of Brazil. This retrospective study included the medical records of patients of the Leiria de Andrade Foundation (FLA) who presented ocular manifestations and had a history of prior Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) involvement. The data were collected between August 2018 and March 2019.

Elevated IL-18 predicts poor prognosis in critically ill COVID-19 patients at a Brazilian hospital in 2020-21.

A dysregulated inflammatory response contributes to decline in patients with COVID-19. This cross-sectional study evaluated biomarkers of unvaccinated patients admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Fortaleza, Brazil. Twenty cytokines were quantified upon hospital admission; clinical and laboratory data were analyzed, as well as sociodemographic data, to search for an association with clinical outcomes, including fatal (n = 40) or recovered cases (n = 38).

Post-Mortem Diagnosis of Pediatric Dengue Using Minimally Invasive Autopsy during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil.

We report the first pediatric disease in which the use of minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) confirmed severe dengue as the cause of death. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a previously healthy 10-year-old girl living in north-eastern Brazil presented fever, headache, diffuse abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting. On the fourth day, the clinical symptoms worsened and the patient died.

Seroprevalence and factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection among education workers after the first wave: the first cross-sectional study in Brazil.

Background: The school community was heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially with the long time of school closures. This study aimed to analyze the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and possible factors associated with seropositivity for COVID-19 in teachers and other school staff, and to estimate the fraction of asymptomatic individuals by sex and age group.

Methods: We conducted a serological survey of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Systemic inflammatory syndrome in children during COVID-19 pandemic in Ceará state, northeastern Brazil: an observational study.

In this study, we report the occurrence of multisystemic inflammatory syndrome among 64 children (2 deaths) with recent severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infections in the northeast region of Brazil. The major clinical symptoms and signs reported were exanthema (60.9%), abdominal pain (56.

The emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variant P.1 in Amazonas (Brazil) was temporally associated with a change in the age and sex profile of COVID-19 mortality: A population based ecological study.

Background: Since the end of 2020, there has been a great deal of international concern about the variants of SARS-COV-2 B.1.1.

Seroepidemiological survey on chikungunya in endemic zones for arboviruses in Brazil, 2019.

This study aimed to identify the seroprevalence of chikungunya and its associated factors in the city of Quixadá, Ceará, Brazil. We also aimed to identify the spatial distribution patterns of positive cases. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a questionnaire about clinical symptoms, socioeconomic and demographic factors, and a 10 ml blood sample was collected and analysed by ELISA.

High Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in Reducing COVID-19-Related Deaths in over 75-Year-Olds, Ceará State, Brazil.

In Brazil, the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination program has so far prioritized people over 75 years of age. By the end of March 2021, in Ceará State, a total of 313,328 elderly people had received at least one dose of vaccine (45% Oxford-AstraZeneca/Fiocruz and 55% CoronaVac-Sinovac/Butantan), and 159,970 had received two doses (83% CoronaVac-Sinovac/Butantan and 17% Oxford-AstraZeneca/Fiocruz). After a single dose, there was already a significant reduction in COVID 19-related deaths (protection ratio: 19.

Neurological growth and development of children asymptomatic at birth whose mothers had Zika during pregnancy.

Introduction: Newborn who had Zika vírus but did not show microcephaly at birth may have neuropsychomotor development problems. We aimed to evaluate the developmental and anthropometric milestones of asymptomatic children whose mothers had Zika during pregnancy in Northeastern Brazil in 2015 and 2016.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional case series study of children in Fortaleza born without microcephaly whose mothers had Zika during pregnancy.

Dengue in northeastern Brazil: a spatial and temporal perspective.

Introduction: The state of Ceará (Brazilian Northeast) has a high incidence of dengue. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the temporal patterns and spatial distribution of dengue cases in Ceará during 2001-2019.

Methods: A spatiotemporal ecological study was performed with secondary data.

COVID-19 Home Deaths without Medical Assistance in Northeastern Brazil.

Since its beginning in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the disease caused by COVID-19 has reached more than 27 million confirmed cases and more than 880 thousand deaths worldwide by early September 2020. Although it is known that some of these deaths may have been influenced by the overload of health systems, the world medical literature lacks data on deaths due to COVID-19 in patients who have not received medical assistance. We conducted a retrospective transversal study to report the clinical and epidemiological profile of the first 200 consecutive cases of home deaths without medical assistance caused by COVID-19 diagnosed by verbal autopsy and real-time PCR in samples of postmortem nasopharyngeal swabs, in the state of Ceara, in Northeastern Brazil.