Oropouche Fever: specialist highlights the current landscape of the disease in “Talking A” edition

August 27, 2024
Talking A

In an exclusive interview, Dr. Felipe Gomes Naveca emphasizes the importance of accurate diagnosis and quality control to ensure the reliability of reports.

Oropouche fever, caused by the arbovirus Orthobunyavirus oropoucheense (OROV), is an increasing concern for public health. It not only has the potential to trigger outbreaks but also presents symptoms that can easily be confused with those of other arboviral diseases. As of the publication of this content, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, 7,653 cases of the disease have been reported.

In an interview for ‘Talking A,’ Dr. Felipe Gomes Naveca, head of the arbovirus and hemorrhagic viruses laboratory at Fiocruz, stated that this virus has been known since 1950 but has always been neglected. According to the specialist, the current situation reveals Oropouche’s potential to become a new threat, not only in Brazil but also across the Americas, and it deserves attention.

Potential diagnostic differences

Dr. Felipe highlighted that Oropouche Fever is quite similar to Dengue, with symptoms such as fever, headache, and body pain. However, professionals working with patients suffering from the disease have identified aspects present in most cases that can aid in faster and more accurate diagnoses:

– There are reports from experienced colleagues treating these patients at the Instituto Evandro Chagas in Pará that Oropouche patients complain of very intense headaches. This could be a potential differentiator. Additionally, about 60% of individuals initially present symptoms that then disappear but eventually return, he stated.

Importance of External Quality Control (EQC)

According to Dr. Felipe, given the current scenario, External Quality Control (EQC), also known as Proficiency Testing (PT), is crucial for maintaining the reliability of diagnoses:

– Proficiency Testing is very important to maintain the quality of tests, especially with a pathogen like Oropouche. So far, what we have observed in sequencing is that we haven’t encountered issues with mutations that could have affected the performance of the assay being used, he noted.

Laboratory routines require continuous monitoring and periodic evaluation, as they play a crucial role in the processes of detection, assessment, response, notification, and monitoring of public health events.

Attentive to the needs of the diagnostic sector, Controllab, in another pioneering initiative, invites laboratories to participate in the first round of Proficiency Testing for Molecular Biology – Oropouche Fever. This test follows the ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 17043 standards and will be sent on September 9th, at no cost to laboratories that indicate their interest via this link by the end of August.