The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) issued an alert Friday over imported cases of Oropouche (OROV) virus to the continent.
For the first time in known history, 19 imported cases of OROV — a Zika-like virus — were reported in European countries, according to the ECDC. Spain has the highest prevalence, with 12 reported cases thus far, followed by Italy (five) and Germany (two). Eighteen of the cases had travel history to Cuba, while one had been to Brazil.
Outbreaks of OROV spread through Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Cuba in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The disease spreads through the bites of infected insects like mosquitoes, fleas and ticks, causing acute symptoms like headaches, nausea, joint and muscle pain and vomiting.
Threat assessment brief: Oropouche virus disease cases imported to the #EuropeanUnion
In June and July 2024, 19 imported cases of Oropouche virus disease were reported for the first time in EU countries: Spain (12), Italy (5), and Germany (2).https://t.co/06QYRvjsWA
— Antonio Guerrero (@guerreroespejo) August 12, 2024
Two deaths have reportedly occurred in Brazil amid an outbreak of the virus across Latin America, according to the Telegraph. Both victims were women in their early 20s. They suffered severe abdominal pain, bleeding and hypotension and died within days of reporting their symptoms. A third death is being investigated as possibly related to the outbreak. (RELATED: World Health Organization Warns Of Large Anthrax Outbreak)
OROV has a 60% recovery rate but has links to stillbirths and birth defects, similar to that of Zika virus. “We should definitely be worried. Things are changing and may become unstoppable,” Imperial College London immunology professor Danny Altmann told the outlet.
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*slow clap* yeah duh I told y’all this a week or more ago… I’m already prepping.
Are you? https://t.co/zruxBMVYBj
— KAY SMYTHE (@KaySmythe) April 18, 2023
There are no medicines to treat the virus, with practitioners relying on supportive care and clinical management of symptoms. The disease is often mistaken for other illnesses, particularly amid the dengue fever outbreak throughout Brazil, according to a 2024 study published in The Lancet. This could lead to the underreporting of cases and related deaths. (RELATED: Dengue Fever Outbreak Hits US After Ravaging Other Countries)
Before these most recent deaths, there was “no report in world scientific literature on the occurrence of deaths from the disease,” Brazil’s Ministry of Health reported, according to the Telegraph.
The only prevention method from the disease is to try to prevent mosquito and other bug bites.
