Oropouche fever has its first confirmed patient in RJ

The city of Rio de Janeiro confirmed the first case of Oroboche fever in the capital, Rio de Janeiro. The Rio de Janeiro State Ministry of Health (SES-RJ) released the information on Thursday (29).

This is a 42-year-old man, a resident of the Al-Humaita neighborhood, south of the city. According to the secretariat, he recently traveled to Amazonas, a state that recorded an increase in cases and issued an epidemiological alert for the disease.

What is Oropouche fever?

Oropouche fever is an infectious disease caused by the Oropouche virus of the same name, transmitted by mosquitoes. Although infections, such as dengue, are caused by mosquito bites, the vectors of Oropouche are different, Culicoides paraensis and Culex quinquefasciatus, popularly known as maruim.

The disease shows symptoms similar to those of dengue fever, which usually last between two and seven days, such as fever, severe headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, pain behind the eyes, dizziness, and cough.

Confirmed case of Oropouche fever in Rio de Janeiro

Confirmation of the case came after a laboratory diagnosis was carried out by the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INI), affiliated with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). Despite the confirmation, the SES-RJ considers the record “imported”, as the patient recently traveled to Amazonas, and there is still no evidence of local transmission, that is, among residents of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Pay attention to the symptoms of the disease

Claudia Melo, Secretary of State for Health, alerts residents to the symptoms of Oropouche fever, similar to those of dengue fever. It highlights the importance of reporting recent trips to northern Brazil during medical appointments. This procedure helps in accurate and rapid diagnosis of the disease, especially at a time when the state of Amazonas is recording an increase in the number of cases.

With the confirmation of the case, the health surveillance team in the city of Rio de Janeiro is keeping the epidemiological investigations of the patient under control. They seek to understand the course of infection and prevent possible future cases of the disease.