By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

According to a cidadeverde.com report, The Municipal Health Foundation (FMS) confirmed the first case of Oropouche fever in the city of Teresina in Piauí state.

Image/CIA

The FMS “received tests indicating infection with the Oropouche virus in a patient admitted to the Hospital de Urgências de Teresina (HUT) in January 2021”. This fever has symptoms similar to dengue fever, but with a lower risk of complications.

In addition, FMS reports the epidemiological investigation indicated that the patient was infected in Teresina.

In humans, Oropouche virus it is transmitted primarily through the bite of the Culicoides paraensis midge. No direct transmission of the virus from human to human has been documented.

Oropouche fever causes symptoms similar to those of dengue with an incubation period of 4-8 days (range: 3-12 days). Symptoms include the sudden onset of high fever, headache, myalgia, joint pain, and vomiting. In some patients it can cause clinical symptoms of aseptic meningitis.

In the Americas, outbreaks of Oropouche fever virus have been reported from rural and urban communities of Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.