2023-11-24 16:45:00
On November 20, the State Department of Health Rio Grande do Sul issued a yellow fever alert. The State Health Surveillance Center (Cevs) has confirmed five new cases of dead monkeys in which the yellow fever virus was identified. The samples were taken in October from monkeys found in the municipalities of Riozinho, Three Crowns, Saint Anthony of the Missions et São Borja, the latter having two confirmed cases. The results were released late last week.
The State Health Surveillance Department would like to draw attention to the regions of Três Coroas and Riozinho, as these are very busy areas due to rural tourism. The State Health Department recommends get vaccinated before traveling to these areas or any of the state’s forest areas. The same goes for anyone working in these areas, such as tour guides, researchers, field workers, etc. It should also be noted that in wild environments people should always use repellents, respecting the recommendations of each manufacturer regarding the effective period of action of each product.
In 2023, Rio Grande do Sul had already recorded two cases of primates positive for the disease in the first half of the year, in the municipalities of Caxias do Sul (in January) and Santo Antônio das Missões (in June). As of 2022, no animal cases have been recorded in the state.
In the wild, the main victims of yellow fever are howler monkeys. These animals are considered sentinels because they serve as indicators of the presence of the virus in a given region. It is important to emphasize that primates are not responsible for transmission, which does not occur directly from animals to humans. Just like humans, they are infected by mosquitoes and eventually get sick in the same way.
The cases that have occurred in Brazil in recent decades are cases of wild yellow fever, that is, the virus was transmitted by mosquitoes living in forest areas, particularly the genera Haemagogus and Sabethes. Since 2009, no human cases of yellow fever have been confirmed in the state of Rio Grande do Sul
Source: Rio Grande do Sul State Department of Health
1700844832
#Brazil #identification #yellow #fever #virus..