Changes in the epidemic of Oropouchi fever, the Pan American Health Organization raises the level of risk in America – HakkaNews

[Yu Qingzhong / Aithisg Choileanta]The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) under the World Health Organization (WHO) announced last Saturday (3rd)The latest epidemiological journalfrom January to July this year (2024), 5 countries in the Americas have reported 8,078 confirmed cases of Oropouche fever, and the clinical characteristics have “changed in a very disturbing way”, focusing on Oropouche Fever A high risk alert has been issued. for the Lopuche epidemic, calling on all countries to strengthen virus surveillance and laboratory diagnosis.

PAHO indicated in the report that changes in the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of Oropouche fever (a disease caused by Oropouche virus (OROV, Oporouche Virus)) recently detected in several countries in the Americas have caused great concern in the cases in newly recorded areas outside areas previously considered endemic for OROV, the first confirmed deaths associated with OROV disease, and evidence of “direct transmission” that may be associated with fetal death and cases of neonatal microcephaly (transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy or childbirth), although some are still in the early stages of research, the level of risk has been determined America upgraded to “high risk.”

WHO indicates that Oropchia fever is caused by the single-stranded RNA virus OROV and is mainly transmitted by the bites of vector insects that touch blood such as mosquitoes and Culicoides Among them, Culicoides are the most common, and the symptoms are similar Dengue fever, including high fever, headache, myalgia, rash, joint pain, and vomiting, usually lasts 3 to 6 days, with a short recurrence in up to 60% of cases. Currently, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago have all reported local outbreaks of Oropouchi fever.

Statistics show that from January 1 to July 30, 2024, 5 countries in the Americas reported 8,078 confirmed cases of Oropoulos fever, including 7,284 cases in Brazil, 356 cases in Bolivia, 290 cases in Peru, Colombia and Cuba. In Brazil, 76% of cases occur in the Amazon region. The Brazilian Ministry of Health confirmed on the 25th of last month that two women died in Bahia of Oropouche fever. Both of them were under 30 years old and had no other medical history of death cases.

PAHO emphasized that the risk of OROV spread is increasing due to human activities such as climate change, excessive deforestation, unregulated and unplanned urbanization, which have greatly affected biological habitats and the distance between insects vector and shorten people it can be transferred from person to person.