The Amazonas Health Surveillance Foundation (FVS) issued an epidemiological alert about the detection of cases of Oropouche virus disease (OROV), a virus similar to that transmitted by the dengue virus.
Between December 2023 and January 4, 2024, the Amazonas Central Public Health Laboratory (Lacen-AM) analyzed 675 samples collected, and confirmed the detection of 199 cases of Oropouche (29.5%) through the PCR test. Of this total, more than 90% came from Manaus. Last Thursday (22), Amazonas issued an epidemiological bulletin reporting a total of 1,398 confirmed cases since the first day of the year.
In addition to Amazonas, the states of Acre and Rondônia are in a state of outbreak, according to the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). According to the agency, the first records of the current Oropouche outbreak in Brazil were made in 2022 by the Roraima Central Laboratory. Then came records in Amazonas, Rondônia and Acre.
At the beginning of February, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an epidemiological alert about the increase in Oropouche for the Americas region, and highlighted that the majority of outbreaks affected people of both sexes, and of all ages. However, children and young people were the most affected.
What is Oropouche fever?
Oropouche fever is caused by a virus of the same name, it is transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes, and the diagnosis of the disease is currently made through testing of reported patients with negative results for dengue.
Its symptoms are similar to dengue fever and can confuse those infected. Thus, they include headache, fever, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, chills and joint stiffness, and appear 4 to 8 days after the bite and can last from 3 to 6 days.
As with dengue prevention efforts, the best way to avoid Oropouche fever is to combat local water accumulation points that are suitable for breeding mosquitoes that transmit the disease.
*Under the supervision of André Rigue
Source: CNN Brasil
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