Researchers have identified 20 genes that can predict an individual’s likelihood of developing a severe form of dengue fever with about 80% accuracy.

The team from Standford University, identified a gene-expression pattern that predicts which people infected with dengue are at highest risk for developing a severe form of the illness.

Currently, to diagnose severe dengue the doctors wait to observe specific symptoms and results of laboratory tests that typically emerge in the late stages of the disease.

The new set of genes, reported in the Cell Reports, can help identify biomarkers that can help doctors gauge the likelihood of severe dengue in patients who are newly symptomatic and use that information to provide better care to help guide therapeutic clinical studies and to guide treatment decisions.

In one of Jharkhand’s poorest districts, a village health worker is the only one watching over TB patients