Recent outbreaks of the Oropouche virus (OROV) in Amazonas, Brazil has brought attention to this neglected, tropic disease. Similar to Zika or Dengue fever, individuals with OROV typically display flu-like symptoms. OROV is a vector-borne disease; meaning that a vector transfers the virus from host to host. The primary vector for OROV is the midge. Midges become infected with the virus from sylvatic hosts (typically sloths, hence the name "sloth fever") and transfer them to humans when humans enter forested areas. Humans then carry the virus back to the city and infect additional midges there. Since midges cannot travel far, this presents two distinct cycles of infection: one in the forest and one in the city.

We use mathematical modeling to capture the basic dynamics of the infected and susceptible populations of each species, making sure to distinguish city midges from forest midges. We explore different types of seasonal forcing to explain the timing and intensity of OROV outbreaks in Amazonas, Brazil.