Dozens of people who returned to Florida from Cuba this year have become infected with an insect-borne virus, the state Department of Health reported.
They all suffered from the Oropouche virus disease, also known as sloth fever.
None of those infected have died and there are no signs that the disease is spreading in the United States. But federal health authorities are warning doctors to be aware of the risk of infection in travelers from Cuba and South America.
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Oropouche is transmitted to humans by small biting flies called midges and by some species of mosquitoes. Humans have become infected while staying in forested areas and are believed to be responsible for the virus finding its way into cities. However, human-to-human transmission has not been documented.
A warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about Oropouche was issued Tuesday as Florida health officials continue to combat mosquitoes that can transmit dengue fever and West Nile virus. The state currently has mosquito-borne disease warnings or advisories issued in 13 counties.
“The emergence of the Oropouche virus is a cause for concern, even if the cases are travel-related,” Steve Harrison, manager of Orange County Mosquito Control, said in a statement. “It highlights the interconnected nature of global health and the potential for mosquito-borne diseases to spread to other parts of the world.”
“We have intensified our efforts to control the mosquito population and prevent the spread of the Oropouche virus, just as we have done to contain the spread of dengue fever.”
How many cases were there?
According to the Florida Department of Health, 30 travel-related cases have been reported in the state this year as of Saturday. All patients had traveled to an endemic area in Cuba two weeks before the disease outbreak.
Ten of these cases were added to the agency’s report from August 18 to 24.
Miami-Dade County reported 14 cases, five in Hillsborough, two in Orange, Lee and Polk, and one each in Broward, Duval, Palm Beach, Pasco and Sarasota.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that a case had been reported in New York, also from someone who had traveled to Cuba.
European health authorities said they had identified 19 cases, almost all among travelers.
Since the end of last year, the virus has been identified as the cause of major outbreaks in the known Amazon regions as well as in new areas of South America and the Caribbean.
About 8,000 locally transmitted cases have been reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Peru.
What are symptoms, treatments and background?
Oropouche is a virus native to tropical forest areas. It was first discovered in 1955 in a 24-year-old forest worker on the island of Trinidad and named after a nearby village and wetlands.
The disease is also called sloth fever because scientists first studied the virus and discovered it in a three-toed sloth, and assumed that sloths played a role in spreading the virus between insects and animals.
Symptoms can be similar to those of other tropical diseases such as dengue fever, Zika or malaria. Fever, headache and muscle pain are common, and some infected people also suffer from diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or a rash.
Some patients experience recurrent symptoms, and one in 20 patients may experience more serious symptoms such as bleeding, meningitis and encephalitis. The disease is rarely fatal, but there have been recent reports of the deaths of two healthy young people in Brazil.
There are no vaccines to prevent infection and no medications to treat symptoms.
What else should I know?
The CDC has issued a Level 2 Travel Health Alert for Cuba. A Level 2 alert advises travelers to take enhanced health precautions.
A level 1 travel warning has been issued for countries in South America, particularly Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Travelers should therefore take the usual precautions.
In Brazil, authorities are investigating reports that the infection could be transmitted from a pregnant woman to the fetus – a potentially frightening parallel to the Zika outbreaks nearly a decade ago.
The CDC recommends that pregnant women avoid non-essential travel to Cuba and advises all travelers to take steps to protect themselves from insect bites, such as using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
Rick Mayer of Health News Florida contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 WUSF 89.7
