Disease

Exanthematous illness outbreak in Brazil

Health professionals recently announced that the outbreak of exanthematous illness in Salvador, Brazil, is connected to the Chikungunya, dengue and zika viruses that have grown to be significant public health threats around the world.

A zika infection typically has symptoms that resemble dengue fever and exanthema, including conjunctivitis, a low-grade fever, and arthralgia. Zika and exanthematous illness outbreaks have been linked to higher rates of cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The first warning of the outbreak was sent to the Salvador Epidemiologic Surveillance Office (ESO) this year. In March, confirmed exanthematous illness cases began to rise, and by April the ESO announced that there were 10 public emergency health centres within Salvador. The centres are used as systematic surveillance units for patients who have acute exanthematous illness. As of today, the health investigators have not yet determined the origin of the disease outbreak.

The Brazilian Ministry of Health confirmed in May this year that Zika is now spreading through Brazil. Health professionals have confirmed that Zika is an etiologic agent to the rise in acute exanthematous illness.

The current acute exanthematous illness outbreak is spreading throughout Salvador. This city is the third-largest in Brazil, posing a notable health threat to the wellness of the country.