In Brazil, for the first time, two people have died from the mosquito-borne Oropouche virus. “So far, there are no reports of fatalities from the disease in the scientific literature worldwide,” the health ministry announced on Thursday (local time). The cases involve women from the state of Bahia in northeastern Brazil. Both were under 30 years old and had no underlying health conditions.
However, the women exhibited signs and symptoms resembling severe dengue fever. An additional death in the southern state of Santa Catarina is still under investigation.
The Oropouche fever is a disease caused by a virus that is primarily transmitted by the Culicoides paraenses mosquito, but also by other species. Both animals like monkeys or sloths and humans can be the main hosts for transmission. The symptoms resemble those of dengue and chikungunya fevers: headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, nausea, and diarrhea. In rare cases, the progression can be severe. There is no specific treatment.
In Brazil, six cases with potential effects on unborn children are currently being investigated. Health authorities are conducting analyses to determine if there is a link between Oropouche fever and cases of malformations or miscarriages.
According to the Pan American Health Organization, the Oropouche virus was first discovered in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean in 1955. In Brazil, it was identified for the first time in 1960 from a blood sample of a sloth, according to the health ministry. Since then, sporadic cases and localized outbreaks have been reported mainly in the states of the Amazon region.
In 2024, 7,236 cases of Oropouche fever were registered in 20 Brazilian states. Cases and outbreaks have also been reported in other Central and South American countries such as Panama, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, it was noted.