Brazil is a country that has several types of climate, with a predominance of hot and humid climate; this characteristic causes a large number of insects to settle in the territory, such as mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, which develop mainly in tropical and subtropical areas. These mosquitoes are relevant vectors of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and zika, and are the species that deserves the most attention in Brazil.

In addition to being transmitted by the same mosquito, such diseases have some similar symptoms, which can make diagnosis difficult. However, small differences exist and can be used as a criterion for diagnosis. Dengue, for example, is the most serious disease when compared to chikungunya and zika, as it causes fever, body aches, headache and eye pain, shortness of breath, skin spots and indisposition. In more serious cases, it can cause bleeding, which can lead to death.

Chikungunya, on the other hand, also causes fever and body aches, but the pain is concentrated mainly in the joints, unlike dengue, which causes predominantly muscle pain. Some chikungunya symptoms last for about two weeks, however, joint pain can last for several months. Cases of death are very rare, but the disease, due to the persistence of pain, greatly affects the patient's quality of life.

Finally, zika is the disease that causes the mildest symptoms. Patients with this disease have lower fever than those mentioned above, reddened eyes and characteristic itching. Due to these symptoms, the disease is often confused with an allergy. Usually Zika does not cause death and symptoms do not last more than seven days. However, it is important to remember that the disease causes serious problems in pregnant women and their babies, such as microcephaly. In addition, Zika is related to a neurological syndrome that causes paralysis, called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

The treatment of these diseases is practically the same, since there are no specific drugs for them. It is recommended that the patient, in all three cases, remains at rest and drinks plenty of fluids. Some medications are indicated for pain, but medications containing acetylsalicylic acid should not be used, as they may trigger bleeding.

The best way to diagnose the disease is through a blood count, which helps a lot in differentiating the conditions, since the drop in platelets and leukopenia are more significant in Dengue and almost non-existent in Zika. In addition, Bio-Manguinhos has five diagnostic kits in its portfolio that detect these diseases, five of which are rapid tests with results available in 20 minutes: DPP® Dengue IgM/IgG, TR DPP® DENGUE NS1 - Bio-Manguinhos, DPP® Chikungunya IgM/IgG, DPP® Zika IgM/IgG, and DPP® ZDC, the latter helps to detect not only dengue but zika and chikungunya simultaneously.

The Institute's portfolio also includes two more molecular kits: ZC D-Typing - Bio-Manguinhos Molecular Kit and ZDC (zika, dengue and chikungunya) Kit, which uses a real-time PCR platform to detect infection by zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses in the first days after infection. It works in a complementary way to serological tests, which need a period of approximately 7 days after the onset of symptoms to deliver a positive result.

There are no vaccines against the diseases mentioned, with the exception of dengue. Therefore, the best form of prevention is to reduce mosquito infestation by eliminating breeding sites, whenever possible, or keeping reservoirs and any place that can accumulate water completely covered with screens/covers/lids.

Source: Fiocruz portal.