OREANDA-NEWS. Those who have had dengue fever may have a certain level of immunity to the COVID-19 infection. This is reported by Reuters with reference to a yet unpublished study conducted by Professor Miguel Nicolelis of the Duke University (USA).

The scientist, in particular, compared the outbreaks of coronavirus and the spread of dengue on a geographical basis. He found that in places with lower rates of infection with coronavirus and a slower increase in incidence, there have been intense outbreaks of dengue this and last year. “This striking finding raises the intriguing possibility of an immunological cross-reactivity between dengue’s Flavivirus serotypes and SARS-CoV-2,” the study reads. If his hypothesis turns out to be true getting dengue fever or being vaccinated against this disease could provide a certain level of immunological protection against coronavirus, Nicolelis said.

According to the scientist, previous studies have already shown that in patients with dengue fever, tests can give false positive results for COVID-19 antibodies. According to Nicolelis, this indicates an immunological interaction between the two viruses, even though they belong to completely different families.