Will the epidemic wave of Chikunguya affect the surgical management of the patients?

Abstract

Dengue is always present in our routine clinical practice with its well-known fluctuations every 4 years. COVID-19 and somehow Zika and Chikunguya joined recently. Currently, we’ve been experiencing an exponential growth of cases of Chikunguya.1,2 The problem with these infections is that the surgical treatments of patients are delayed, especially those with low income.

Another group of patients who suffer tremendously
from these infections is cancer patients and patients with chronic conditions. Since therapies are delayed here as well, oncologists see how diseases progress without being able to administer proper treatment for the lack of beds available at the hospital. In addition, patients with comorbidities stop attending their consultation follow-up visits

Will the epidemic wave of Chikunguya affect the
surgical management of the patients?
¿La ola de Chikunguya afectará la atención
quirúrgica de los pacientes? and have decompensations that delay surgery, sometimes even resulting in death.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the frailty of surgical systems worldwide became evident delaying surgeries for patients who needed them.3.4 But, we don’t need another COVID-19 pandemic anymore. These arboviruses can collapse our already deteriorated health system by themselves.

New policies to strengthen surgical treatments and the surgical management of non-communicable diseases are needed. Otherwise, they will impact our patients. Unfortunately, strengthening surgical approaches in patients is not a goal of public health anymore. Hopefully this will change some day.