The two deaths from oropouche fever confirmed this Thursday (25) by the Ministry of Health are the first recorded in the world. According to a statement released by the ministry, “until now, there was no report in the world scientific literature about the occurrence of death from the disease.”
The deaths occurred in the interior of Bahia. Two were under 30 years old, with no comorbidities, and had signs and symptoms similar to severe dengue fever. A third death is still under investigation in Santa Catarina.
What is the disease?
Oropouche fever is caused by the orthobunyavirus oropoucheense virus.
The main form of transmission is by sand flies, but there are other types of mosquitoes that can also transmit the microorganism.
Monkeys and sloths are the main hosts. The virus remains in the mosquito’s blood for a few days after biting an infected person or animal. If the mosquito bites another healthy person, it can transmit the virus to that person.
The main symptoms are headache, muscle pain, joint pain, nausea and diarrhea. These are similar to those seen in people infected with dengue or chikungunya.
Diagnosis is made through laboratory tests and any positive results must be reported to the authorities.
According to the Ministry of Health, the microorganism was first detected in Brazil in 1960, during the construction of the Belém-Brasília highway. It was identified in a sample from a sloth and, since then, there have been records of isolated cases and more localized outbreaks in states in the Amazon region.
Source: CNN Brasil
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