Introduction:
Oropouche fever is a viral fever and a zoonotic disease. The virus is originally found in sloths' blood and then transmitted through mosquitoes or midges, affecting human beings. It also spreads from person to person through mosquito or midges bites. This viral fever is known to cause a major epidemic in tropical regions like Brazil. This viral infection was first found in the city of Belem, in Brazil. In the Brazilian Amazon, oropouche fever is known to be the second most common epidemic fever after dengue being the first.
What Exactly Is Oropouche Fever?
Oropouche fever is a zoonotic viral disease caused by a specific arbovirus virus called oropouche (OROV) virus. This virus belongs to the Bunyaviridae family. This virus was first found and isolated in Trinidad and Tobago by the oropouche river, hence the name, oropouche fever. This viral fever is known to spread swiftly among the population of tropical countries like Brazil.
2,63,000 cases were known to report the infection. This virus spreads from the blood of the sloths to human beings and then from infected human beings to healthy human beings through mosquito and midges bites. Approximately, about 1,30,000 cases were reported from 1978 to 1980 alone.
What Are the Causes of Oropouche Fever?
Oropouche viral infection is known to spread from the blood of sloths to other marsupials, birds, and primates through mosquito bites and midges bites. It was later found in 1955 that oropouche fever was a zoonotic disease when the oropouche virus was isolated from a febrile patient in Trinidad, Brazil. This viral fever was then known to spread swiftly from person to person through mosquitos and midges. The cases of oropouche fever are still reported only in Latin American countries. This fever caused a major epidemic after dengue fever. Oropouche fever affects many people and is more commonly seen in the rainy seasons and after the end of the rainy season when there is an increase in the population of mosquitos.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Oropouche Fever?
The incubation period of oropouche fever is between four to eight days. The incubation period is the time period between the time of infection (here, it is a mosquito or midge bite that acts as a host to the oropouche virus) and the time of the appearance of the first symptom.
The signs and symptoms of oropouche fever are as follows,
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The person affected presents with a fever as high as 104 ℉.
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Fatigue.
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Malaise (feeling discomfort).
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Nausea and vomiting.
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Some people might experience rashes that resemble rubella on their bodies.
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Abdominal pain and discomfort.
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Diarrhea is also a common symptom seen among patients with oropouche fever.
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The people affected can also be photophobic, meaning their symptoms worsen when exposed to bright light.
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Generalized body aches and joint pain.
These are some common signs and symptoms of oropouche fever seen among the patients affected by oropouche fever. This infection affects both genders equally and affects people of all age groups. This fever is often seen in tropical areas and is not yet witnessed outside Latin American countries. People who work outdoors in the rainy seasons or after rainy seasons are often affected by oropouche fever.
How to Diagnose Oropouche Viral Infection?
As the persons affected by the oropouche virus often present with normal symptoms similar to many viral fevers, specific virology techniques help with the accurate diagnosis.
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Virus isolation techniques are done in newborn mice to detect and isolate the oropouche virus.
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Serological assay methods like,
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Hemagglutination inhibition (HI).
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Neutralization tests (NT).
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Complement fixation test (CF).
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Immunosorbent assay tests are done to detect the levels of IgM and IgG immunoglobulins.
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RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests are also done to detect and isolate the viral bodies.
How to Treat Oropouche Fever?
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Oropouche fever cannot be entirely cured with a particular drug as there is no specific drug for treating oropouche fever.
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However, symptomatic treatments can be provided, like analgesics to relieve body aches and reduce fever.
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The person infected is asked to intake more fluids and healthy foods. The symptoms are known to reduce in a few days.
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In extreme conditions, the doctor prescribes Ribavirin which is an antiviral drug.
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Treatments with Aspirin are not advised when the patients are symptomatic, as Aspirin has anticoagulative effects on the body and can worsen the symptoms.
What Are the Preventive Measures to Take In Avoiding Oropouche Viral Fever?
Oropouche fever can be avoided to a certain extent by the following measures,
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Avoiding water retention in areas that might promote growth in the population of the mosquitos and midges that act as a vector in the spread of the oropouche virus.
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Contact between people and mosquitoes should be avoided as much as possible by staying indoors.
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Proper hygiene should be maintained inside the household to prevent the breed of midges and mosquitoes.
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People can wear lotions or mosquito repellent creams or ointments that might help.
Conclusion:
Oropouche viral fever has been reported as a massive epidemic in Latin American countries like Brazil. The spread of this disease can be prevented by following proper hygiene. Though this condition has no cure, the symptoms are reported to improve in a few days after adequate care. There are no reported deaths due to oropouche fever which is a piece of great good news.
