TABLE. Comparative features of COVID-19 and arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti .
| Clinical and epidemiologic conditions | COVID-19 | Aedes-transmitted diseases (DEN, CHIK, ZIK ,YF) |
| Case management | ||
| Case detection | Asymptomatic and clinical | Symptomatic (febrile syndrome) |
| Asymptomatic infection | 80% Very important in transmission | Variable very important in transmission |
| Mild | 10% | 20-40% |
| Moderate | 5% | < 10% |
| Severe | 5% Mandatory intensive therapy | 5% intensive care |
| Lethality | 2 to 5% | 1-2% |
| Reproduction rate (Ro) | 2-4 | 2-3 |
| Health services burden | Hospital level | Primary health and hospital care |
| Public health measures | ||
| Warning signs | fever, fatigue, coughing, pneumonia, difficulty breathing, acute respiratory distress | Alarma signs: abdominal pain or tenderness, persistent vomiting, clinical fluid accumulation, mucosal bleed, lethargy or restlessness, liver enlargement (> 2 cm) |
| Preventive measures | Hand washing, respiratory hygiene, face masks, personal protective equipment in health units | Elimination of unnecessary containers where standing water can accumulate Protection of water storage containers (lid, cleaning), use of personal protection methods (topical repellents, spatial repelents), house improvement (mosquito screens on doors and windows, tank covers etc) |
| Physical distancing | Indispensable | Not relevant |
| Isolation (quarantine) | Compulsory in confirmed cases | Partial, severe cases |
| Mobility Search for contacts | Mandatory, mass confinement Test, track, treat and isolate | Tracking contacts and mobility surveys |
| Urban concentration | Very important (density) | Very important (density) |
| Water supply | Constant hand washing | Avoid breeding sites |
| Sanitation | Surfaces, hands, face | Breeding sites control (disposal and clean-up) use of insecticides (chemical and biological) |
| Diagnostic testings | Test (PCR) nasal swab confirmation, track, treat and isolate contacts | Viral isolation, RNA (PCR), NS1 (ELISA, rapid diagnositics), antibody: IgM/IgG usually ELISA or rapid diagnositc. Antigen tests relevant early Antibody tests late test severe cases not for tracking purposes |
| Vaccine | Not available, fast development | Yellow fever, slow development |
CHIK: Chikungunya; DEN: dengue; YF: yellow fever; ZIK: Zika.