Health officials confirmed on Tuesday that more than 20 individuals returning to the United States from Cuba have contracted the “Oropouche” virus, also known as “Sloth Fever,” which is transmitted by insects.
Oropouche was first identified in 1955 in a 24-year-old worker on the island of Trinidad. It is sometimes called Sloth Fever because scientists believe that sloths played a significant role in its spread among insects and animals.
The virus is transmitted to humans through small flies and certain types of mosquitoes. Humans have contracted the virus while visiting forested areas, and there has been no documented human-to-human transmission.
The infection presents symptoms that may resemble those of other diseases, such as dengue fever, Zika, or malaria. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and muscle aches, while some infected individuals may also experience diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or rash.
About 1 in 20 patients may suffer more severe symptoms such as bleeding, meningitis, and encephalitis. Although the disease is rarely fatal, there have been recent reports of deaths among two healthy young men in Brazil.
There are currently no vaccines to prevent the infection and no medications available to treat the symptoms.
