Oropouche fever outbreak in Brazil: Key factors behind the largest epidemic in history.

Oropouche virus (OROV) is an arthropod-borne virus responsible for outbreaks of Oropouche fever (ORO) in Central and South America since the 1950s. Herein, we investigated the climatic and socioenvironmental factors contributing to the reemergence of ORO in Brazil in 2024, culminating in the largest...

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Main Authors: Camila Lorenz, Thiago Salomão de Azevedo, Maria Anice Mureb Sallum, Francisco Chiaravalloti-Neto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327845
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author Camila Lorenz
Thiago Salomão de Azevedo
Maria Anice Mureb Sallum
Francisco Chiaravalloti-Neto
author_facet Camila Lorenz
Thiago Salomão de Azevedo
Maria Anice Mureb Sallum
Francisco Chiaravalloti-Neto
author_sort Camila Lorenz
collection DOAJ
description Oropouche virus (OROV) is an arthropod-borne virus responsible for outbreaks of Oropouche fever (ORO) in Central and South America since the 1950s. Herein, we investigated the climatic and socioenvironmental factors contributing to the reemergence of ORO in Brazil in 2024, culminating in the largest epidemic in the country's history. Accordingly, we conducted a modeling study to identify areas with the highest incidence of OROV in Brazil based on confirmed human cases between the 2020 and 2024 outbreaks and socioenvironmental variables. Our analysis utilized Maxent software, a machine learning algorithm for species distribution modeling, along with SatScan software to identify high- and low-risk spatial clusters. A total of 8,258 ORO cases were serologically confirmed in Brazil in 2024 and 108 in 2020/2021. The distribution of OROV differed markedly in 2020 and 2024: in 2020, cases were primarily confined to the Amazon region, while in 2024, cases expanded across nearly the entire country. High-risk areas showed higher temperatures and precipitation, and land-cover and land-use change (LCLUC) appeared to be key factors in ORO distribution. Upon comparing deforestation rates between 2020 and 2023, we noted a sharper increase in the expansion of pasture cover and soybean plantations in high-risk regions. Moreover, municipalities in high-risk clusters tended to face greater socioeconomic challenges, including poverty and restricted access to healthcare. Our study identified areas vulnerable to OROV circulation, providing valuable insights to support the establishment of robust public health policies that must be prioritized and strengthened in the context of climate change.
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spelling doaj-art-fe7f5272fb08439cb9e89ad147b5d8952025-08-20T02:49:06ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01207e032784510.1371/journal.pone.0327845Oropouche fever outbreak in Brazil: Key factors behind the largest epidemic in history.Camila LorenzThiago Salomão de AzevedoMaria Anice Mureb SallumFrancisco Chiaravalloti-NetoOropouche virus (OROV) is an arthropod-borne virus responsible for outbreaks of Oropouche fever (ORO) in Central and South America since the 1950s. Herein, we investigated the climatic and socioenvironmental factors contributing to the reemergence of ORO in Brazil in 2024, culminating in the largest epidemic in the country's history. Accordingly, we conducted a modeling study to identify areas with the highest incidence of OROV in Brazil based on confirmed human cases between the 2020 and 2024 outbreaks and socioenvironmental variables. Our analysis utilized Maxent software, a machine learning algorithm for species distribution modeling, along with SatScan software to identify high- and low-risk spatial clusters. A total of 8,258 ORO cases were serologically confirmed in Brazil in 2024 and 108 in 2020/2021. The distribution of OROV differed markedly in 2020 and 2024: in 2020, cases were primarily confined to the Amazon region, while in 2024, cases expanded across nearly the entire country. High-risk areas showed higher temperatures and precipitation, and land-cover and land-use change (LCLUC) appeared to be key factors in ORO distribution. Upon comparing deforestation rates between 2020 and 2023, we noted a sharper increase in the expansion of pasture cover and soybean plantations in high-risk regions. Moreover, municipalities in high-risk clusters tended to face greater socioeconomic challenges, including poverty and restricted access to healthcare. Our study identified areas vulnerable to OROV circulation, providing valuable insights to support the establishment of robust public health policies that must be prioritized and strengthened in the context of climate change.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327845
spellingShingle Camila Lorenz
Thiago Salomão de Azevedo
Maria Anice Mureb Sallum
Francisco Chiaravalloti-Neto
Oropouche fever outbreak in Brazil: Key factors behind the largest epidemic in history.
PLoS ONE
title Oropouche fever outbreak in Brazil: Key factors behind the largest epidemic in history.
title_full Oropouche fever outbreak in Brazil: Key factors behind the largest epidemic in history.
title_fullStr Oropouche fever outbreak in Brazil: Key factors behind the largest epidemic in history.
title_full_unstemmed Oropouche fever outbreak in Brazil: Key factors behind the largest epidemic in history.
title_short Oropouche fever outbreak in Brazil: Key factors behind the largest epidemic in history.
title_sort oropouche fever outbreak in brazil key factors behind the largest epidemic in history
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327845
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AT mariaanicemurebsallum oropouchefeveroutbreakinbrazilkeyfactorsbehindthelargestepidemicinhistory
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