Oropouche fever: occurrences outside the North raise the Government’s alert for a mosquito-borne disease

A case of Oropouche fever, registered outside the northern region of Brazil, in a 42-year-old man, after a recent trip to Amazonas, raised the alert for another arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes. The Hospital Escola Dr. Helvio Auto, a care unit of the State University of Health Sciences of Alagoas (Uncisal), has an outpatient service specialized in serving users who are going to take or have already made a trip to risk areas in Brazil and for any trip International.

Unregistered in Alagoas, Oropouche fever is an endemic disease in the north of the country, with systemic outbreaks in several states in that region. Transmitted most commonly by maruim, in its urban cycle, it can also be transmitted by mosquitoes (muriçoca) and presents symptoms very similar to those of dengue and chikungunya, such as headache, muscle pain, joint pain, nausea and diarrhea.

It is important to highlight that anyone who has recently traveled to the North of Brazil and then presents these symptoms should seek a health service and report what they are feeling.

“At the time of the consultation, it is important for the patient to talk about their entire travel history, even if they do not think it is necessary. This information is essential for investigating the possible diagnosis by the doctor and, if necessary, by health surveillance professionals”, explained the infectious disease specialist at Helvio Auto Hospital, Fernando Maia.

Guidance from a service such as the Travel Medicine Outpatient Clinic, in these cases of endemic diseases, is essential. Some domestic travel and all international travel require specialist medical advice. Some countries even require a health certificate to allow foreigners to enter their territories.

The clinic is intended for those who are going to travel, as well as for those who have returned from a trip and started to show any symptoms that are related to the period they spent abroad.

The procedures that can be carried out at the Helvio Auto outpatient clinic include the issuance of a health certificate for travel; guidance on preventing communicable diseases in risk areas; guidelines to avoid thrombosis on long flights; details about food and water consumption; issuing a prescription for continuous medication use during the travel period; how medicines should be transported in luggage, so that there are no problems at airports; requesting necessary vaccines; sequencing tests for some contagious diseases, among others. Depending on the destination and type of transport for the trip, procedures may change.

To make an appointment, the user can go to the SAE, on Rua Cônego Lyra, s/n, in Trapiche da Barra, or call 3315-3244 and inform them that they want to make an appointment at the Travel Medicine Outpatient Clinic. For domestic trips, it is only necessary to carry out a consultation if it is to areas considered at risk, whereas for international trips, an assessment is normally required.