In a follow-up to the mysterious disease known as “black urine” disease, the Secretary of Health of the State of Bahia says the number of cases of acute myalgia has risen to 64, the Gazeta da Bahia reported (computer translated). The cases have been reported from Dec. 14, 2016 to Jan. 24, 2017.
To date, two fatalities are suspected to be due to the mysterious disease.
The capital city of Salvador has seen the bulk of the cases (60). Besides the capital of Bahia, the municipalities of Vera Cruz, Dias D’Avila, Camaçari and Alcobaça registered one case each.
According to infectious physician,Antonio Bandeira, who is investigating the disease in Bahia, the most likely cause is fish intoxication. Another expert, Gubbio Soares believes a virus could be the cause.
The symptoms of the disease are intense muscular pain, of sudden onset, mainly affecting the cervical and trapezius region, associated with pain in the arms and / or back, thighs, calves with no apparent cause and elevated creatine phosphokinase. Patients may also develop kidney failure and therefore have dark urine.
The disease remains under investigation by the Ministry of Health. Samples were sent to a laboratory of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, the Adolfo Lutz Institute in São Paulo, and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), in Rio de Janeiro.
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