Concurrent transmission of Zika virus during the 2023 dengue outbreak in Dhaka, Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: During the 2023-dengue outbreak in Bangladesh, a diagnostic evaluation study was conducted to investigate concurrent Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) transmission in Dhaka in 2023. AIMS: The study explored to simultaneously detect the presence of ZIKV, DENV, and/or CHIKV while considering relevant clinical and epidemiological risk factors, using a real-time multiplex RT-PCR system. Following this, it was planned to sequence the selected samples to identify genetic variations of the ZIKV infections within the population. METHODS: This study was designed as a diagnostic evaluation, where participants meeting the inclusion criteria were prospectively recruited with written informed consent. A total of 399 febrile individuals were screened, with 185 meeting the inclusion criteria of having a fever onset within 2-5…