Bolivia: 2 Mayaro virus cases reported in La Paz
The Departmental Health Service (SEDES) of La Paz confirmed two new cases of Mayaro fever in the department. The patients are an 11-year-old boy from Palos Blancos and a 16-year-old boy from La Asunta. Both are receiving medical care.
In response to the detection of the cases, SEDES staff mobilized to the affected communities to carry out vector control measures, entomological studies, and strengthen epidemiological surveillance.
These measures seek to prevent the spread of the disease and detect possible new cases.
The head of the SEDES Epidemiology Unit, Javier Mamani Acarapi, reported that last year, 16 cases of this disease were reported in the department.
Health authorities emphasized the importance of destroying mosquito breeding sites as a preventative measure to prevent the spread of this and other vector-borne diseases.
Mayaro fever is a zoonosis transmitted by mosquitoes infected with Mayaro virus (MAYV), an arbovirus of the Alphavirus genus, belonging to the Togaviridae family.
Transmission of the virus occurs primarily in the sylvatic cycle, involving non-human primates and mosquitoes of the Haemagogus genus.
Human cases are associated with recent exposure to humid forest environments where these vectors live.
In its initial stage, Mayaro fever presents a nonspecific clinical picture similar to that of other arboviral diseases (dengue, chikungunya fever, and Zika fever). The incubation period is 1 to 12 days. The disease resolves spontaneously after 3 to 5 days, with persistent arthralgia that can last for weeks or months. However, like other Alphavirus infections, MAYV can cause serious complications such as intermittent fever, neurological complications, myocarditis, and even death.