Oropouche: What is the ‘sloth virus’ and should Irish people be concerned?
It is understood some primates, sloths, and perhaps birds carry the virus which is then transmitted to humans through the bite of infected midges or mosquitoes. Picture: PA Wire
You may have noticed headlines about Oropouche virus disease arriving in Europe. It is a disease caused by the Oropouche virus (OROV), which was first detected in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955. Outbreaks have been reported in several countries across South America, Central America and the Caribbean, with Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and more recently Cuba among the areas affected.
It is understood some primates, sloths, and perhaps birds carry the virus which is then transmitted to humans through the bite of infected midges or mosquitoes. To date, there is no evidence of human-to-human OROV transmission. Oropouche virus is mainly transmitted to humans as a result of being bitten by infected midges, namely the Culicoides paraensis midge, however, some mosquito species could also spread the virus. The Culicoides paraensis midge is widely distributed across the Americas, but absent in Europe.
There is no evidence yet that European midges or mosquitoes could transmit the virus.
Nineteen imported cases of Oropouche virus disease were reported for the first time in EU countries in June and July this year. Those are from Spain (12), Italy (5), and Germany (2). According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, all but one of the cases had a travel history to Cuba and one to Brazil.
Oropouche tends to cause flu-like symptoms that last about a week.
Oropouche virus disease can manifest as an acute fever with headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and occasionally more severe symptoms. The prognosis for recovery is good and fatal outcomes are extremely rare.
There are no vaccines to prevent the disease and specific medication to treat OROV is unavailable at this stage.
Direct human-to-human transmission of the virus has not been documented so far. However, the Brazilian Ministry of Health recently reported six possible cases of it being passed from mother to child during pregnancy. The potential risks during pregnancy are still under investigation and have not been confirmed.
Given the good prognosis for recovery, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says the impact is assessed as low and the risk of infection for people travelling to affected countries in the Americas is described as moderate.
Recent data indicates that OROV infection in pregnancy may lead to miscarriage, abortion and/or developmental problems, and deformities of the foetus. The disease’s impact on pregnant people, foetuses and newborns could be higher than for the general population, although this is still under investigation.
Brazil’s health ministry reported the first known deaths in the world associated with the disease on July 25. The women were aged 21 and 24 and in Bahia state. They developed sudden symptoms that led to fatal bleeding. A potential third death, that of a 57-year-old man, is under investigation.
A review published in The Lancet in January warned of significant gaps in medical and scientific understanding of the virus, which “has the potential to emerge as a substantial threat”.
To date, no OROV cases have been reported in Ireland.
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