It’s time to sound the alarm on insect bites because there’s a real chance they can be deadly.
The cause for concern stems from more than 8,000 cases of Oropouche virus that have been reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, and Peru this year.
Even though most cases reported through Aug. 1 have been in South America, infections are spreading and it’s happening in countries that never had the virus.
As a result, multiple travel-related cases have been reported in the United States and Europe.
The crisis has stirred such a cause for concern that the Pan American Health Organization, a regional arm of the World Health Organization, has issued an epidemiolocal alert for Oropouche virus, raising the public health risk level to “high” for the Americas.
“Although the disease has historically been described as mild, the geographic spread in transmission and the detection of more severe cases underscore the need for increased surveillance and characterization of possible more severe manifestations,” the agency noted in a statement.
A U.S. health advisory warning has also been issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warning healthcare providers and public health authorities to keep an eye out for new cases and recommending that pregnant women avoid traveling to affected areas.
So far, as of Tuesday, the CDC said more than 20 U.S. travelers coming from Cuba have tested positive for Oropouche virus.
Let’s further dive into what the virus is and how to prevent contracting it.
The Oropouche virus was discovered in 1955 and got its name from a village in Trinidad and Tobago. Since then, about 500,000 cases have been reported. Not much is known about the virus, as it has been dubbed as a “mysterious threat” by the Lancet medical journal.
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.
According to the CDC, about 60% of people who are infected develop symptoms that include a sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, muscle pain and joint stiffness. Other symptoms could include eye pain, light sensitivity, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue and rash, but in rare cases, it could infect the nervous system and result in meningitis and encephalitis.
Though some patients suffer recurring symptoms, 1 in 20 could suffer the more severe symptoms.
The virus stems from a different viral family than Zika but raises many of the same concerns.
“We don’t fully understand its life cycle and its transmission cycle, and it does look like it impacts pregnant people,” Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, said. “This is exactly why we really need to learn more.”
So how does the virus spread?
It’s spread to humans by insect bites, especially from biting midges — a type of small fly — and certain types of mosquitos. Humans have become infected while visiting forested areas and are believed to be responsible for helping the virus make its way to more urban areas.
So far, person-to-person transmission hasn’t been documented.
Though rarely fatal, there have been recent reports of deaths in two healthy young people in Brazil.
How could you protect yourself?
Unfortunately, there is no vaccine to protect against Oropouche virus and there are no specific antiviral treatments available. Cases can be confirmed through laboratory testing, where more common viruses like dente are ruled out first.
“This is a good time to think about mosquito bite prevention: Avoid going out at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most likely to be biting; dress appropriately to protect your skin from bites from mosquitoes and other insects, and to use a mosquito repellent that is effective at preventing infections,” Hamilton said.
Two travel advisories have been issued by the CDC — one is encouraging travelers to South America to take “usual precautions” and another suggesting that travelers going to Cuba take “enhanced precautions” in protecting themselves from bug bites.
The CDC recommends that pregnant women should take special precautions and avoid nonessential travel to Cuba.
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Publish date : 2024-08-28 06:00:00
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