Travelling soon? This insect-transmitted virus is spreading at ‘unprecedented scale’

An insect-transmitted virus that can live in sloths, primates and birds is spreading at an “unprecedented” rate, with health officials warning that it is emerging in parts of the world, including Europe, where it has never been detected.

Oropouche fever, a potentially fatal zoonotic disease, is transmitted by tiny flies called midges and mosquitoes, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. There is currently no vaccine for the virus, which is part of the same family of diseases as Zika and dengue fever.

The virus has traditionally circulated in Central and South America, but this year it has also spread to new locations such as Cuba, Italy and Spain, according to research published on Aug. 8 in The Lancet.

“Arboviral infections have hit South America heavily in the past decade…. In addition, the region is now facing the re-emergence of another little-known arbovirus, Oropouche virus, on an unprecedented scale,” the research paper stated.

As of Aug. 1, there have been 8,078 confirmed cases of Oropouche fever in the region, reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru, The Lancet reported. In 2023, there were only 832 cases were reported.

On July 25, the first deaths linked to Oropouche fever were reported, involving two young Brazilian women with no underlying medical conditions, The Lancet reported.

Because cases of the virus are spreading, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) both recently issued a warning about Oropouche fever.

In June and July, Europe reported its first 19 cases of Oropouche virus disease, with Spain (12 cases), Italy (five cases) and Germany (two cases) being affected. Eighteen of these cases were linked to travel to Cuba, while