Hunting
The Government of Córdoba, through the Ministry of Health Development, gave some peace of mind to the citizens, since until now there is no scientific evidence of the presence of the Oropouche virus in the territory.
The Secretary of Health of Córdoba, Carlos Vasco Álvarezexplained that the Epidemiological Surveillance System (Sivigila) Serological samples have been analyzed, but none of them have detected the presence of this virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes. Culicoides Paraensis.
“However, we must be very alert, informing and reporting to our entire health system, specifically to the providing institutions, about some type of abnormality that may occur both in the clinical management and the presentation of this type of events,” said the secretary.
Vasco Álvarez pointed out that in Colombia the National Institute of Health has verified 57 cases, of which 55 occurred in the department of Amazonas, Caquetá and Meta, but none in the Atlantic or the Caribbean.
More information
The above confirms what was published in a study from February 2024, by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO)in which it indicates that the Oropouche virus outbreaks recorded in the last ten years have taken place mainly in the Amazon region.
That same report indicates that Oropouche fever is an emerging disease in the Amazon region, which has affected several Latin American countries, which is transmitted from a mosquito bite and produces a condition similar to dengue.
The virus has an incubation period of four to eight days, the onset is sudden, it generally presents symptoms such as fever, headache, bone or joint pain, chillssometimes nausea accompanied by persistent vomiting for up to five to seven days, and occasionally aseptic meningitis may occur.
The invitation from the Government of Córdoba is to be alert to any symptoms and to contact medical services, since it could be dengue.
The authorities provide recommendations
- These are some recommendations to control the spread of vector-transmitted viruses such as dengue, malaria, oropuche:
- Identification and elimination of water reservoirs such as tires, bottles and lids, among others.
- Keep places where water is stored, such as pools, tubs, buckets, covered to prevent the reproduction of mosquito larvae;
- Eliminate weeds around houses.
- Protect homes with hooks or mesh mosquito nets on doors and windows.
- Wear clothing that covers legs and arms, as well as repellents.
- Avoid outdoor activities during the period of greatest mosquito activity, that is, at dawn and dusk.
- In the case of people at higher risk of being stung, such as field workers, the use of clothing that covers exposed parts of the body is recommended.
