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  • 1 year ago
This country is now testing for the Oropouche virus which has been reported in five countries in Latin America so far.


Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh made the announcement during a Health Conference on Tuesday.


Alicia Boucher has more in this report.
Transcript
00:00According to the Pan-American Health Organization, as at the end of July,
00:068,078 confirmed cases of Oropuch fever were reported in five countries in the
00:11region, with Brazil accounting for 7,284 of the cases, including two deaths.
00:18Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba and Peru are the other countries with cases ranging
00:24between 74 and 356. PAHO, on August 2nd, issued an epidemiological alert calling
00:32on member countries to strengthen their surveillance and implement laboratory
00:36diagnosis. As this country battles the spread of dengue, Minister of Health
00:41Terence de Alcing says it is also taking precaution against the Oropuch virus.
00:46I have confirmed with CAFA this morning that we are now testing for the Oropuch
00:53virus in case we have it in Trinidad and Tobago. What CAFA is doing, the blood
01:00samples that we sent to them to test for dengue, once those samples are negative
01:06then they do a second screen for Oropuch virus because the signs and
01:11symptoms tend to be the same, they overlap. So we want to know whether we
01:16are dealing with Oropuch virus at the same time. The symptoms associated with
01:22Oropuch virus include sudden onset of fever, severe headache, joint and muscle
01:27pain and in some cases rash, sensitivity to light, double vision, nausea, vomiting
01:33and diarrhea. PAHO says the symptoms may even last five to seven days while in a
01:39small number of cases complete recovery may take several weeks. Rarely severe
01:44symptoms with aseptic meningitis may occur. Head of the accident and emergency
01:49department at the Sangu Grandi Hospital Dr. Darren Dukkaram clarifies that
01:54testing for the Oropuch virus is not done consistently. It's not something we
01:59have routinely tested for but it's something that is well documented given
02:03the presence of so many people with fevers and so through the Ministry of
02:09Health we now have that access to testing. Dr. Dukkaram signals that this
02:13access will be a factor in patient care. Not all fever is dengue, there are other
02:19differentials that are possible but regardless you should have your testing
02:23done to ensure that the safest level of treatment is provided to you. The Oropuch
02:28virus was first detected in 1955 in Trinidad and Tobago. It is caused by the
02:34Culicoides perennisis which are small blood-sucking midges usually found in
02:39forested and agricultural environments among decaying vegetation.
02:44Alicia Boucher TV6 News
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