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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