Travelers are being cautioned by U.S. health officials about sloth fever, a potentially fatal illness spread by insects that has infected thousands of people in South America and the Caribbean and 21 U.S. residents returning from Cuba.
Up to August 1st, almost 8,000 instances of Oropouche virus sickness were documented in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Cuba. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday that cases involving tourists returning from Brazil and Cuba had also been discovered in the United States and Europe.
What is the fever of sloth?
Oropouche virus infections, which were initially discovered in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955, are colloquially known as “sloth fever.” The virus is endemic in central and eastern South America and is spread by mosquito and midge bites.
Cases have been found in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Cuba during the current outbreak. Cases in the United States have only involved visitors coming back to Florida or New York from Cuba. Although the Oropouche virus is colloquially referred to as “sloth fever,” rodents, monkeys, and birds can also contract the illness.
Symptoms of the sloth fever
The majority of illnesses are moderate, but according to experts, the Oropouche virus claimed the lives of two previously healthy Brazilian women, ages 24 and 21. Three to ten days after infection, a person may experience fever, chills, headaches, and stiffness or soreness in their muscles and joints.
Additional symptoms include be light sensitivity, redness in the eyes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, exhaustion, rash, and stomach discomfort.
According to public health officials, situations involving mother-to-fetus transmission give them particular concern. For Oropouche, there is no vaccine and no antiviral medication.
Is it possible for a mother to spread the virus to her fetus?
Five cases were found in the lab where it looked that a fetus was infected by the mother. Four other fetuses had microcephaly, a birth abnormality where the baby’s head is smaller than usual, and one fetus passed away.
The Oropouche virus may be connected to “fetal death and possible congenital malformations,” according to publications cited by the CDC, which “raised concerns about the threat of Oropouche virus to human health.”
These cases, according to the CDC, demonstrate how urgent it is to stop the virus from spreading to the United States and other areas that have escaped most of it.
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Where did the American cases get reported?
Twenty people in Florida and one person returning from Cuba in New York have confirmed Oropouche virus infections. Three patients had recurrent symptoms, although the majority of patients were assessed at the time of their initial illness.
48 was the patient’s median age. Fever, headache, soreness in the muscles, exhaustion, and joint stiffness or discomfort were the most frequent symptoms. Additional individuals complained of bleeding, rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain.
