Oropouche fever fatalities and vertical transmission in South America: implications of a potential new mode of transmission
Ranjit Sah, Shriyansh Srivastava, Rachana Mehta, Sharib Raza Khan, Sachin Kumar, Prakashini Satpathy, Aroop Mohanty, Carolina Ferraz, Jack Feehan, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Camila Luna, Alfonso J. Rodríguez‐Morales
Abstract
Oropouche fever, caused by the Oropouche orthobunyavirus (OROV), represents a significant yet often overlooked public health issue in South and Central America, particularly in northern Brazil.1 The virus has been reported in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, and Peru, totalling 9852 cases as of September 6, 2024, with Brazil accounting for over 80.5% (7931) of those cases (Fig. 1).2 Up to September 7, 2024, the Ministry of Health of Brazil has reported 7931 cases of OROV infection, 3230 of them in the Amazonas state (40.72%), 1710 in Rondonia state (21.56%), and 886 in Bahia (11.17%).