A survey by the Oswaldo Cruz Institute revealed that mosquitoes of the species Haemagogus leucocelaenus and Haemagogus janthinomys are responsible for the recent outbreaks of yellow fever in Brazil.
Both species were found in large quantities in cities in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo. They are associated with cases of wild yellow fever , unlike the urban type, generally associated with aedes aegypti ( dengue mosquito ).
The identification allows to study the regions that have the presence of these species and thus to predict possible outbreaks in the future.
The study analyzed almost 18,000 insects between 2015 and 2018 and was published in the scientific journal Emerging Microbes & Infections .
Between 2016 and 2018, approximately 2,000 cases of yellow fever were registered in Brazil and 700 people died. The outbreak was strongest in the Atlantic rainforest region that had not registered the disease since the 1940s.
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Understand yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes in humans.
The main symptoms are high fever and jaundice (or yellowing, hence the name). In addition to these, headache , nausea, weakness and body pain can also be indicative of the disease.
Symptoms can take up to 6 days to appear after contact with the virus.
