Abstract

     Malaria and dengue are the most prevalent vector-borne diseases worldwide and represent major public health problems; both are endemic in similar tropical regions and, therefore, may result in the possibility of co-infection. Aim: To determine the occurrence of concurrent malaria and dengue infection Methods: we carried out retrospective cohort study for a total of 218 febrile patients attending Al-Sadaqa Teaching Hospital Out Patient Department over a period from August to November 2019. Blood samples were collected for malaria and dengue investigations and were tested for thin and thick film for malaria and NS-1 antigen and IgM ELISA for dengue fever. Result: Out of 218 patients, the total prevalence in malaria, dengue and co-infection patients were 50%, 62.4%, and 40.3% respectively. In term of age, the highest percentage was recorded among patients with malaria of the age over 58 was 78.3%, in dengue fever patients of  the age 38-47 was 72.5 % with p value 0.05 and in co-infection among of the  age 18-27 was 49.3% with p value 0.001. In term of sex the prevalence was 66.9%, 43.5% and 39.1 % in malaria, co-infection and dengue fever respectively. Conclusion: High prevalence of co-infection was observed among febrile infection compared to the isolated infection. Simultaneous infection among febrile patients is a true burden and there is a need for further study for patients in endemic areas.