Oropouche fever

Why in news?

Brazil has reported the first-ever deaths from Oropouche fever, a mosquito-borne disease with symptoms similar to dengue.

About Oropouche fever:

Oropouche fever is a disease caused by Oropouche virus.

It is spread through the bites of infected midges (small flies) and mosquitoes

Symptoms of Oropouche fever are similar to dengue and include headache, fever, muscle aches, stiff joints, nausea, vomiting, chills, or sensitivity to light.

Severe cases may result in neuroinvasive disease such as meningitis.

There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the disease — to date.

About Oropouche virus:

Oropouche virus was first found in a symptomatic human from the village Vega de Oropouche, Trinidad, in 1955.

Oropouche virus is a negative-sense ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus.

Family: Peribunyaviridae, which is one of the families with the largest number of viruses described.

Eg: Ropouche virus, Ngari virus, and La Crosse virus ect

It is widely distributed in tropical regions such as Central and South America.

The transmission of Oropouche virus occurs through both urban and sylvatic cycles, with the anthropophilic biting midge Culicoides paraensis serving as the primary vector in urban areas.

Treatment

There are no vaccines and specific treatment for Oropouche fever.

Medical care aims to control the symptoms and help with recovery.