Listen to Story People who recover from dengue are more likely to experience long-term health complications a year later compared to those who had Covid-19, according to researchers at NTU Singapore. The research revealed that dengue survivors have a 55% higher risk of developing heart issues , such as irregular heartbeats, heart disease, and blood clots, than those who recovered from Covid-19. The study analyzed data from 11,707 dengue patients and 1,248,326 Covid-19 patients in Singapore between July 2021 and October 2022.
Researchers looked for new health problems related to the heart, neurological, and immune systems that appeared 31 to 300 days after infection. The study's unique comparison was made possible by the circulation of both dengue and Covid-19 during the period . Published in the Journal of Travel Medicine, the study was conducted by a team from NTU's Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, the Ministry of Health, Singapore, Singapore General Hospital, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, and the National Environment Agency.
Dengue is one of the most common vector-borne diseases globally , and the long-term health issues it causes can significantly increase the healthcare burden on both individuals and the country. Assistant Professor Lim Jue Tao, the study's lead author, explained, "We were motivated to conduct the study due to the increasing geographic range of dengue caused by climate change. We also compared the results with those who recovered from Covid-19, as our previous research suggested a similar risk of long-term health complications.
" The study highlights the importance of taking measures to prevent dengue and supports public health planning..
