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The knowledge of the doctors in Aceh regarding Zika infection is relatively low. Doctors who have a good knowledge on Zika infection are more confident to established Zika disease as differential diagnosis in their clinical setting. Therefore, such program to increase healthcare providers' knowledge regarding Zika infection is needed to screen potential carriers of Zika infection.

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Dengue is hyperendemic in Indonesia. In 2015, reported cases of dengue fever doubled those of 2014 in the Jambi municipality of Sumatra. We examined viral aetiology and its relationship with disease outcome in Jambi. Dengue-suspected patients' sera were collected and NS1 detection and IgM/IgG serology were performed. Dengue virus (DENV) serotyping was performed using real-time RT-PCR. Envelope genes were sequenced to determine the genotypes of DENV. Clinical, haematologic, and demographic data were recorded. Of 210 dengue-suspected patients, 107 were confirmed. The disease manifested as Dengue Fever (62%), Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (36%), and Dengue Shock Syndrome (2%). The serotypes of 94 DENV were determined. All DENV serotypes were detected with DENV-1 as the predominant serotype (66%). Genotypically, the DENV-1 viruses belong to Genotype I, DENV-2 was of Cosmopolitan genotype, DENV-3 as Genotype I, and DENV-4 belonged to Genotype II. Comparison with historical data revealed serotype predominance switched from DENV-3 to DENV-1, and the replacement of Genotype IV of DENV-1 with Genotype I. In summary, DENV-1 predominated during the 2015 dengue outbreak in Jambi. The full spectrum of dengue disease occurred and was characterized by a switch in predominant serotypes.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains ongoing around the world, including in areas where dengue is endemic. Dengue and COVID-19, to some extent, have similar clinical and laboratory features, which can lead to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment and patient’s isolation. The use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) is easy and convenient for fast diagnosis, however there may be issues with cross-reactivity with antibodies for other pathogens. Methods We assessed the possibility of cross-reactivity between SARS-CoV-2 and dengue antibodies by: (1) testing five brands of COVID-19 IgG / IgM RDTs on 60 RT-PCR-confirmed dengue samples; (2) testing 95 RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 samples on dengue RDT; and (3) testing samples positive for COVID-19 IgG and/or IgM on dengue RDT. Results We observed a high specificity across all five brands of COVID-19 RDTs, ranging from 98.3 to 100%. Out of the confirmed COVID-19 samples, one patient tested positive for dengue IgM only, another tested positive for dengue IgG only. One patient tested positive for dengue IgG, IgM, and NS1, suggesting a co-infection. In COVID-19 IgG and/or IgM samples, 6.3% of COVID-19 IgG-positive samples also tested positive for dengue IgG, while 21.1% of COVID-19 IgM-positive samples also tested positive for dengue IgG. Conclusion Despite the high specificity of the COVID-19 RDT, we observed cross-reactions and false-positive results between dengue and COVID-19. Dengue and COVID-19 co-infection was also found. Health practitioners in dengue endemic areas should be careful when using antibody RDT for the diagnosis of dengue during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid misdiagnosis.