Oropouche fever cases in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, 2024.

BACKGROUND

Oropouche Virus (OROV) is an arbovirus endemic to parts of Central and South America, historically confined to the Amazon region. In 2023‒2024, a significant expansion of OROV circulation was reported in Brazil, including autochthonous transmission in Salvador, Bahia. Despite its growing relevance, clinical descriptions are limited and mainly associated with the new lineage.

METHOD: We conducted a passive surveillance study based on medical records of patients confirmed by RT-qPCR for OROV infection who were treated at an Emergency Care Unit in Salvador, Bahia, between April and July 2024. Sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected.

RESULTS

We collected information from 11 RT-PCR-confirmed patients with a mean age of 38-years, and a female predominance (55 %). The most prevalent symptoms were fever (100 %) and headache (100 %), myalgia (90 %), nausea (73 %), and arthralgia (55 %). No cases of severe or fatal outcomes were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to the clinical characterization of Oropouche fever in an emerging urban transmission setting outside the traditional endemic areas. The findings support the need for including OROV in the differential diagnosis of acute febrile illnesses, strengthening molecular surveillance, and expanding awareness among clinicians in non-Amazonian regions.