Oropouche virus has detected 21 cases in the US, CDC says

Nearly two dozen people in the United States have been confirmed to have contracted the Oropouche virus while traveling outside the country this summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. reported Tuesday. Oropouche, a previously little-known virus, has made headlines in recent weeks with reports of a small number of deaths and a possible link to congenital malformations in babies infected in the womb.

All 21 cases – 20 from Florida and one from New York state – involved people who had traveled to Cuba, which is experiencing its first recorded outbreak of Oropouche, also called “sloth fever.” The report was written by public health scientists from Florida and New York and published in the CDC’s online journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“At this time, we currently recommend that pregnant women avoid all nonessential travel to areas with ongoing outbreaks,” Erin Staples, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, told STAT.

Earlier this month, the CDC said healthcare providers warned to look out for people with Oropouche infections, which have spread in several South American countries and Cuba. Also the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control doctors warned in Europe to think of Oropouche when confronted with sick travelers, with Spain, Italy and Germany reporting 19 cases in June and July.

Two deaths have been reported in Brazil – the first reported in association with Oropouche fever – in women in their early 20s. There have also been a handful of reports of the possible vertical transmission of the virus – when a virus is passed from a pregnant person to the fetus – resulting in stillbirths or spontaneous abortions and congenital malformations.

In particular, Brazil has reported several babies born with microcephaly – a condition in which the brain is underdeveloped – a finding reminiscent of the 2015-2016 Zika outbreak. According to the Pan American Health Organization, the World Health Organization’s regional operation for the Americas, investigations into these events are ongoing.

In a August 3 risk assessment On Oropouche, PAHO indicated it believes there is a high risk of further spread of the virus, which has led to a flurry of activity in several South American countries so far this year.

“The risk of spread could increase due to significant population movements both within and between countries, as well as social, entomological and environmental factors,” the PAHO assessment warned.

Until this summer’s events, Oropouche was an unknown virus, receiving little attention outside the areas where it circulates in a cycle involving birds, sloths, biting insects and sometimes humans.

You probably have questions about the virus and the disease. STAT has some answers:

How is it pronounced?

Oro-pooosh. Think pooh, but with a ‘sh’ sound at the end.

What kind of disease does it cause?

About 60% of people who become infected will develop symptoms that can easily be mistaken for other insect-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika or malaria. People who receive Oropouche may experience fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches and joint pain. Some may develop sensitivity to light, dizziness, pain behind the eyes, nausea, vomiting and rash, according to the CDC.

Staples said a small number of people who contract the virus will develop bleeding symptoms — for example, bleeding gums — or a neuroinvasive disease such as meningitis. “It is thought that less than 5% of infected people develop some of these more serious signs and symptoms,” Staples told STAT.

Symptoms typically last between two and seven days, but can recur after a period of a few days or even weeks, which sets Oropouche apart from some of the other diseases it resembles. Recovery can take days to about a month.

Is there a vaccine? Are there specific medications?

In a word: no. The best way to avoid contracting Oropouche is to avoid being bitten by insects.

The CDC told doctors in its warning that rest, fluids and acetaminophen to control pain and fever can be used to relieve symptoms. It stressed that aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should not be used because they increase the risk of haemorrhagic symptoms.

When was it discovered?

The virus takes its name from the area on the island of Trinidad where it was first reported in 1955.

Where is it usually found?

It is commonly reported in Brazil, especially in the Amazon region. By the end of July, PAHO had been informed of just over 8,000 confirmed cases this year, most of them from Brazil. Other countries reporting transmission included Colombia, Cuba, Bolivia and Peru. Three-quarters of Brazil’s cases were reported from the Amazon region.

How is it transmitted? Like many of the diseases it resembles, Oropouche is spread via biting insects – in this case a species of mosquitoes called Culicoides paraensis and a species of mosquito known as Culex quinquefasciatus. However, Staples cautioned that it is unclear whether other mosquitoes or mosquitoes can transmit the virus, allowing it to take root in other places. What is currently known about the virus is how it behaves in the places where it has been studied the longest, such as the Amazon.

For now, the CDC believes the risk that Oropouche could spread in the United States is low — but not zero. “We know that in America we have some of the same vectors that have been described as transmitting,” Staples said.

In reality, a study published in the journal Viruses in 2021 suggested that mosquitoes of a species called Culicoides sonorensis, which is widespread in the United States and parts of Canada, could transmit Oropouche if they became infected.

That said, the North American lifestyle could lower the risk posed by the virus, Staples said, noting that people often move from air-conditioned homes to air-conditioned cars during the summer, when biting insects flourish.

Like dengue or even West Nile virus, Oropouche virus circulates among some animals and humans. Although it is not known which animals can be infected, it is clear that birds, three-toed sloths and some primates are part of the Oropouche cycle. When the virus is bitten by an infected insect, it multiplies in their blood. When other insects feed on it, it increases the amount of virus in a location. At some point the infection spreads to humans.