Two women have died of Oporouche fever, a world first according to authorities

These are the first deaths ever recorded in the world from Oropouche fever. The disease, transmitted by insects and mosquitoes, has killed two people in northwestern Brazil. The fever was first detected 60 years ago in Brazil, but had never killed humans before, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Health.

The victims of this disease are two women from eastern Brazil. Both under 30 years old, they had no comorbidities. They “presented symptoms similar to a severe form of dengue fever”details the Ministry of Health of the South American country. As a reminder, dengue is a disease transmitted by the bite of a mosquito carrying the virus. Local health authorities suspect Oropouche fever is the cause of a third death, in the south of the country.

“Until now, no deaths related to the disease had been recorded in the global scientific literature”the Health Ministry says. The disease is originally transmitted by insects and mosquitoes. Since its discovery in Brazil in the 1960s in the blood of a sloth, cases have since been detected in the country, mainly in the Amazon, where insects carrying the virus are numerous. Other Latin American countries have also reported cases of contamination. In Brazil, more than 7,000 cases have been recorded since then.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “LThe disease is manifested by a sudden onset of high fever, headache, myalgia, skin rash, joint pain and vomiting”The incubation period is four to eight days, and the recovery period can last several weeks. But the symptoms are similar to dengue fever, making it difficult for authorities to track the outbreak. Brazil in particular has been experiencing a surge in dengue cases this year. Nearly 5,000 deaths have been confirmed since early January.