Oropouche Fever : First Ever Death
Brazil has reported its first-ever deaths from Oropouche fever, a mosquito-borne disease with symptoms similar to dengue, but severe cases are rare.
- The virus, first detected in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955, has spread to Latin America, the Caribbean, and recently to Europe, with Italy reporting its first case in June 2024.
- Oropouche fever is transmitted by infected midges and mosquitoes, and symptoms start between four and eight days after the bite, including fever, headaches, pain, and sometimes nausea.
- Most patients recover in about seven days, and there is no vaccine or specific treatment.
- The disease’s spread may be influenced by climate and environmental factors such as deforestation, but much about its transmission remains understudied.
