First found in a three-toed sloth, Oropouche virus is spread by midges and mosquitoes.
More than 20 people returning to the U.S. from Cuba have been
infected with a virus transmitted by bugs in recent months, federal health
officials said Tuesday. They all had Oropouche virus disease, also known as
sloth fever.
None have died, and there is no evidence that it's spreading in
the United States. But officials are warning U.S. doctors to be on the lookout
for the infection in travelers coming from Cuba and South America.
What
is Oropouche virus?
Oropouche is a virus that is native to forested tropical areas. It
was first identified in 1955 in a 24-year-old forest worker on the island of
Trinidad, and was named for a nearby village and wetlands.
It has sometimes been called sloth fever because scientists first
investigating the virus found it in a three-toed sloth, and believed sloths
were important in its spread between insects and animals.
How
does Oropouche virus spread?
The virus is spread to humans by small biting flies called midges,
and by some types of mosquitoes. Humans have become infected while visiting
forested areas and are believed to be responsible for helping the virus make
its way to towns and cities, but person-to-person transmission hasn't been
documented.
How
many cases have there been?
Beginning late last year, the virus was identified as the cause of
large outbreaks in Amazon regions where it was known to exist, as well as in
new areas in South America and the Caribbean. About 8,000 locally acquired
cases have been reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, and Peru.
Some travelers have been diagnosed with it in the U.S. and Europe.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday said 21 U.S.
cases have been reported so far — 20 in Florida and one in New York — all of
whom had been in Cuba. European health officials previously said they had found
19 cases, nearly all among travelers.
What
are the symptoms and treatments?
Symptoms can seem similar to other tropical diseases like dengue,
Zika or malaria. Fever, headaches and muscle aches are common, and some
infected people also suffer diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or rash.
Some patients suffer recurring symptoms, and 1 in 20 can suffer
more severe symptoms like bleeding, meningitis and encephalitis. It is rarely
fatal, though there are recent reports of deaths in two healthy young people in
Brazil.
There are no vaccines to prevent infections and no medicines
available to treat the symptoms.
Are
there other concerns?
In Brazil, officials are investigating reports that infections
might be passed on from a pregnant woman to a fetus — a potentially frightening
echo of what was seen during Zika outbreaks nearly a decade ago.
The CDC has recommended that pregnant women avoid non-essential
travel to Cuba and suggested all travelers take steps to prevent bug bites,
such as using insect repellents and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
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