Risk of Oropouche Outbreaks is High in the Americas: WHO
A fly that transmits the Oropouche virus X/ @ThinkGlobalHlth
December 6, 2024 Hour: 7:46 am
The symptoms of this disease resemble include fever, severe headaches, joint stiffness, nausea, and vomiting.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the health risk posed by the Oropouche virus in the Americas as “high.” The virus causes a disease similar to dengue and chikungunya, and more than 11,000 cases have been confirmed in the region so far this year.
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Since the previous assessment in August, cases have been reported in three new countries in the region—Ecuador, Panama, and Guyana—as well as in the U.S., Canada, and three European nations. However, the global risk level remains low.
Infections have also been reported this year in Bolivia (356 cases), Brazil (9,563), Colombia (74), Cuba (603), and Peru (936), as well as in the Cayman Islands, the Geneva-based organization highlighted.
The WHO urges countries at risk to strengthen epidemiological surveillance and enhance preventive measures among their populations to reduce the geographic spread of the virus. Pregnant women and newborns are considered among the most vulnerable groups to this infection, which may also affect fetuses during pregnancy.
The cases reported in Europe, seemingly imported from individuals traveling from affected countries in the Americas—primarily Cuba—have been diagnosed in Spain (21 cases), Germany (3 cases), and Italy (6 cases).
Oropouche is an arboviral disease caused by the virus of the same name, circulating in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It is primarily transmitted through the bite of the Culicoides paraensis mosquito and similar species found in forested and aquatic regions.
The symptoms of the disease resemble those of dengue, including fever, severe headaches, joint stiffness, nausea, and vomiting. Many patients recover within a week, although in some cases the illness may last longer and, in rare instances, develop into severe forms such as meningitis.
Currently, there are no antiviral treatments or vaccines for the disease, the WHO noted, advising against imposing travel restrictions to or from the affected countries.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
