Rio Grande do Norte records the first case of Oropuche fever

On Wednesday (11), the Public Health Department of Rio Grande do Norte confirmed the first case of Oropuche fever in the state. The case was registered in the city of Parnamirim, in Greater Natal. The state already has 17 suspected cases of the disease and 9 of these cases are under investigation to confirm the diagnosis of the patients.

The patient

A 69-year-old woman was the patient whose diagnosis of the disease was confirmed and who has already been cured and is doing well. According to the state's Health Surveillance coordinator, the patient did not require hospitalization and did not have any worsening of clinical signs, and she and her team are monitoring the other suspected cases.

^{More cases are being investigated by sanitary and health authorities (Photo: reproduction/Maíra Arrais/ SES – PE)}

According to the Ministry of Health, Brazil is suffering from an outbreak of cases of the disease. Rio Grande do Norte was one of the 5 states in the country that had no occurrence of the disease, being the only one in the Northeast.

The disease

Oropuche fever is transmitted by an insect known as maruim, and is an arbovirus, like dengue, zika and chikungunya. The insect responsible for transmission is commonly found in rural areas, mainly in mangrove areas, in ditches with stagnant water and also places with organic waste. Another characteristic of the transmitter is that the bite is more painful than that of the mosquito that transmits dengue and usually acts in the late afternoon.

The symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, muscle pain and pain behind the eyes and can be very similar to the symptoms of dengue fever. In severe cases, it can affect the brain, causing encephalitis and can cause miscarriage in pregnant women: “The big concern is precisely the complication of this case. But it is a disease that, like dengue, is mild in most cases.“, said the infectious disease doctor and director of the Giselda Trigueiro Hospital in Natal, André Prudente.

Preventive measures for the disease are different from those for dengue fever. The maruim mosquito needs organic material, such as leaves and fruit remains, to proliferate, unlike the Aedes aegypti, which needs clean water. They can also be prevented by using repellents, just like other mosquitoes. It is recommended that organic material be cleaned and disposed of properly, and that long clothing and window coverings be worn in homes near potential mosquito breeding sites.

Featured photo: Maruim Mosquito, transmitter of Oropuche Fever (Photo: reproduction/nechaevkon/Shutterstock)