EUROPE registered its first cases of Oropouche Virus, just days after Brazil saw two young women die from the disease.
The two unidentified people who visited Cuba showed up at different hospitals in Italy with symptoms of the little-known disease, according to the Lancet.
The first, a 26-year-old woman, developed a typical fever and diarrhea after returning to Verona on May 26, following a two-week trip to Ciego de Ávila, in central Cuba.
The second traveled to Havana and Santiago de Cuba in early May and was treated in Fori, northern Italy, on June 7, after starting to show symptoms.
Tests by the Department of Tropical Infectious Diseases at the Sacred Heart Don Calabria Hospital, north of Verona, detected the Oropouche virus in the patients’ blood.
Both travelers have since made a full recovery.
It is the first time that an Oropouche infection has been diagnosed outside of Latin America, where the disease is currently spreading.
“We should definitely be concerned,” said Dr. Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London. The telegraph.
“Things are changing and may become unstoppable.”
Since the diagnosis was made public, more travelers in Italy with recent visits to Latin America have tested positive for the virus, according to the study authors.
They warned that “significant human movement” could allow the virus to “expand its spread”, expressing particular concern about the volume of travelers flying between Cuba and Europe during the summer.
The number of passengers could reach 50 thousand in August alone.
Most Oropouche infections are mild, with symptoms similar to Dengue, including headache, body aches, nausea, rash and sensitivity to light.
Some individuals may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and diarrhea.
In severe cases, the virus can also attack the brain causing meningitis or encephalitis, which can be fatal.
Recently, it has been linked to birth defects and miscarriages.
The virus, nicknamed “sloth” fever, circulates among primates, sloths and birds in the wild – before occasionally being transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and midges.
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An increase in the number of cases of the virus, which is endemic in the Amazon Rainforest, was recorded in Brazil this year – 7,284, compared to 832 in 2023.
And many infections have been recorded in areas that had not previously seen the virus.
Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health first reported cases of Oropouche on May 27.
Since then, a total of 74 cases have been confirmed.
Outbreaks have also been reported in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru.
Ecuador, French Guiana, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago have also recorded cases.
FIRST DEATHS
Last month, Brazil reported the world’s first deaths from the virus, after two women in their early twenties died in the northeastern state of Bahia,
The two women, aged 21 and 24, suffered severe bleeding and hypotension and were pronounced dead on July 25.
In June, Brazil’s health minister reported that a pregnant woman lost her baby at 30 weeks, with the Oropouche virus detected in the umbilical cord and organs.
They also observed four cases of microcephaly – where the baby’s head is much smaller than expected.
A miscarriage at eight weeks’ gestation was also linked to the virus.
Oropouche Virus: Everything You Need to Know
Oropouche fever is a disease caused by the Oropouche virus
It is transmitted through bites from infected mosquitoes (small flies) and midges.
Symptoms of Oropouche fever are similar to dengue fever and include headache, fever, muscle pain, joint stiffness, nausea, vomiting, chills, or sensitivity to light.
Severe cases can result in brain diseases such as meningitis.
Symptoms usually begin 4 to 8 days after the bite and last 3 to 6 days.
Most people recover with no long-term effects.
There are no specific medications or vaccines available.
Precautions
Travelers heading to affected areas should take steps to avoid insect bites.
The virus is endemic in many South American countries, both in rural and urban communities.
Outbreaks are periodically reported in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Panama, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Wear long-sleeved tops and long pants, apply insect repellent regularly, and sleep under a mosquito net if you are not in enclosed, air-conditioned accommodation.
Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
