The Ministry of Health has confirmed the registration of two deaths from oropouche fever in Brazil. The ministry stated in a note that, to date, there have been no reports in the world’s scientific literature about the occurrence of deaths from the disease.
The registered cases are of women under 30 years old and who had no comorbidities. According to the department, they presented symptoms similar to a severe case of dengue fever.
Another death in Santa Catarina is still under investigation and may also be related to the disease. In Maranhão, a fourth death was ruled out.
Six cases of vertical transmission, when the pregnant woman passes the infection to the baby, have also been identified. Two occurred in Pernambuco, where the children died; one in Bahia and two in Acre.
There was also a record of spontaneous abortion and in three cases there was the presentation of congenital anomalies, such as microcephaly.
The analyses are being carried out by state health departments and specialists, with the support of the Ministry of Health, to conclude whether there is a relationship between oropouche fever and cases of malformation or miscarriage.
Among the federal government’s recommendations are to intensify surveillance during pregnancy and monitoring of babies of women who had clinical suspicion.
The department headed by Minister NÃsia Trindade states that it also continues to monitor cases and possible deaths from oropouche through the National Arbovirus Room, with constant dialogue with state and municipal health departments.
The government also reinforces that it monitors the situation in the states through technical visits, on-site investigation, active searches and vector research in support of the local response of the states and municipalities.
Since last year, the Ministry of Health has made diagnostic tests available to the entire national network of Central Public Health Laboratories (Lacen).
This helps to explain why cases previously concentrated in the North region began to be identified in other regions of the country.
In 2024, 7,236 cases of oropouche fever were recorded in 20 Brazilian states. Most cases were recorded in Amazonas and Rondônia.
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-BrasÃlia 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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