CHEERS
Oropouche fever: Bahia reaches 154 infected with the virus in 2024
Salvador registered another positive case, bringing the number of people infected with the virus to three
Published on April 22, 2024 at 7:25 pm
Febre oropouche Credit: Freepik
Bahia reached the mark of 154 cases of Oropouche fever in 2024. The 59 new cases were confirmed by the Central Public Health Laboratory (Lacen) last Saturday (20). The new cases are patients in Feira de Santana (1), Camacan (1), Wenceslau Guimarães (3), Jiquiriçá (1), São Miguel das Matas (2), Ibirapitanga (2), Gandu (1), Igrapiúna (2). ), Taperoá (11), Laje (4), Mutuípe (15), Salvador (1), Jaguaripe (1), Santo Antônio de Jesus (1) and Teolândia (13).
So far, confirmed cases are concentrated in the southern and eastern regions of the state. The municipalities with confirmed cases throughout the state were: Feira de Santana (1), Camacan (1), Wenceslau Guimarães (3), Jiquiriçá (1), São Miguel das Matas (2), Amargosa (3), Camamu (1). , Gandu (12), Ibirapitanga (3), Ituberá (1), Jaguaripe (3), Laje (18), Maragogipe (1), Mutuípe (19), Piraí do Norte (1), Presidente Tancredo Neves (9), Salvador (3), Santo Antônio de Jesus (6), Taperoá (15), Teolândia (36), Valença (10) and Igrapiúna (5).
What is Oropouche Fever?
As the name suggests, oropouche fever is a disease caused by the oropouche virus. Transmitted to humans mainly through the bite of Culicoides paraensis, known as a marium or sandfly, this virus was discovered in Brazil in the 1960s from a blood sample from a sloth caught during the Belém highway- Build Brasília.
Differences between Oropouche Fever and Dengue
In addition to the difference between the mosquito vectors, which, in the case of dengue, Aedes aegypti, the diseases are different in terms of the evolution of the clinical picture. The patient diagnosed with dengue may begin to feel severe abdominal pain and, in the worst case, may experience internal bleeding, which does not occur with oropouche.
A special feature of oropouche is the display of a biphasic cycle. Generally, the person will have fever and pain for a few days and then they will go away. After a week, the disease returns, until it disappears again.
Although there are no cases of mortality due to the disease, another striking feature is that the central nervous system may be involved in the most severe cases, with conditions such as aseptic meningitis and meningoencephalitis, especially in immunocompromised patients. .
How to avoid?
According to the Ministry of Health, prevention methods include:
– Avoid areas where there are many mosquitoes, if possible;
– Wear clothes that cover most of the body and apply the background to exposed areas of the skin, especially in the regions with the greatest number of cases;
– Keep the house clean, remove possible mosquito breeding sites, such as standing water and collected leaves;
– If there are confirmed cases in your area, it is recommended that you follow the instructions of local health authorities to reduce the risk of transmission, such as specific mosquito control measures;
* With information from Agência Estadão
