COVID or dengue: How to differentiate common symptoms like fever, chills and body ache

Coronavirus and dengue cases, coupled with the air pollution, makes for a deadly cocktail for the health of people, especially in places like Delhi, with a poor Air Quality Index and around 295 positive cases of dengue reported in just the first week of November.

Both the infections have several overlapping symptoms like fever, chills, headache and body ache. So how do we differentiate between the two? Read on to find out.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, here are some signs that are more consistent with dengue:

-Persistent vomiting

-Mucosal bleeding

-Difficulty breathing

-Lethargy/restlessness

-Liver enlargement

Experiencing these symptoms may be caused by a COVID infection, according to the US CDC:

-Difficulty breathing

-Persistent pain or pressure in the chest

-New confusion

-Inability to wake or stay awake

-Bluish lips or face

Note that this list is not all possible symptoms as COVID-19 can lead to multiple other symptoms too, depending on person to person.

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Incubation period means the time between catching the virus/getting infected and beginning to have or starting to show symptoms of the disease.

The incubation period for dengue ranges between 3-10 days, and is typically 5-7 days. On the other hand, the incubation period for COVID can extend to 14 days. Usually, it takes a time period of 4-5 days from exposure to symptoms onset.

Overlapping signs like fever can manifest differently, depending on whether it is a sign of dengue or COVID-19.

The fever recorded during COVID-19 is usually said to be low or moderate grade. This can usually be managed at home with doctor prescribed medicines and ample rest, healthy diet and hydration. On the other hand, in case of a dengue infection, fever can rise considerably high which may require immediate medical attention.

Further, the fever seen with a dengue infection is usually continuous and persistent. Whereas with COVID-19, the fever can come and go.

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With several overlapping symptoms, even doctors and healthcare workers may not be able to ascertain the exact cause or the infection, based purely on diagnosis based on symptoms.

This is why, in such cases, doctors recommend getting tested for both COVID and dengue. In some cases, even malaria and typhoid tests are prescribed, to know the cause of infection for sure.