LIVE SCIENCE – Public concern is rising after cases of Oropouche virus disease — an illness that normally afflicts people in South and Central America — have been reported for the first time in the U.S. and Europe.
As of Aug. 16, 2024, more than 20 cases of Oropouche virus disease — sometimes nicknamed “sloth virus” — have been confirmed in travelers returning to the U.S. from Cuba.
These are the first known cases in the U.S. of the viral disease, which normally circulates in parts of South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
They join a further 19 cases that have also been detected for the first time in travelers returning to Europe from the Americas this summer.
So far, no one in the U.S. has died of the virus. However, health officials are warning people who wish to travel to areas where the virus spreads, especially pregnant women, to be extra vigilant.
Oropouche virus disease is a Zika-like illness that was first detected in a forest worker in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955.
Several media outlets have recently referred to the disease as “sloth virus” because scientists have proposed that the main animal host of the virus is the pale-throated sloth (Bradypus tridactylus). These sloths are thought to be a source of human infection transmitted by insect bites, and vice-versa.
However, other researchers have proposed that other animals, such as wild birds or primates including capuchin (Cebus) and howler (Alouatta) monkeys, are actually the main animal host of the disease.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of Oropouche virus disease are similar to those of dengue, chikungunya, Zika and malaria.
Symptoms usually begin around four to eight days after a person is infected by a disease-carrying insect. They include sudden-onset fever, headache, joint stiffness, pain and chills …
