What Is the Oropouche Virus Found in US Travelers to Cuba?
2024-09-03
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1American health officials have identified a virus spread by insects in more than 20 people who visited Cuba.
2The virus is officially called Oropouche. It is also known as sloth fever.
3The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said August 27 it had received reports of 21 cases in the United States.
4All of the cases - 20 in Florida and one in New York - involved people who had traveled to Cuba.
5European health officials said they had identified 19 cases of the virus, nearly all of them in travelers.
6The CDC explains that Oropouche is usually spread through the bites of small flies called midges, as well as mosquitoes.
7Signs, or symptoms, of the sickness usually start three to 10 days after an insect bite.
8They can include headache, high temperature, joint stiffness, stomach problems and sensitivity to light.
9The CDC says most virus cases last from three to six days and people generally recover without any long-term effects.
10There is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for the sickness.
11The Oropouche virus is native to forested tropical areas.
12It was first identified in 1955 in the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago.
13The virus was named after a nearby village and water system.
14The sickness is sometimes called sloth fever because scientists investigating the virus found it in a three-toed sloth.
15Researchers believed the sloths were important in spreading the virus between insects and animals.
16The virus is spread to humans by small biting flies called midges, and by some kinds of mosquitoes.
17Humans have become infected while visiting forested areas and are believed to be responsible for helping the virus make its way to towns and cities.
18So far, person-to-person transmission, or spread, has not been documented.
19The virus has recently caused large outbreaks in Amazon areas where it was known to exist.
20It has also been found in new areas of South America and the Caribbean.
21About 8,000 local infections have been reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, and Peru.
22Most patients returning from Cuba reported their symptoms between May and July.
23Three of the patients were hospitalized, with no deaths reported, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
24Symptoms can seem similar to other tropical diseases like dengue, Zika or malaria.
25The most common ones include fever, headaches and muscle pains.
26Some infected people also suffer from diarrhea, unsettled stomach, vomiting or skin reactions.
27Some patients can suffer symptoms repeatedly.
28And one in 20 people may experience more severe symptoms like bleeding, meningitis and encephalitis.
29The virus rarely causes death, although there were recent reports of deaths in two healthy young people in Brazil.
30There are no vaccines to prevent infections and no medicines are currently available to treat the symptoms.
31In Brazil, officials are investigating reports that infections might be passed on from pregnant women to their unborn babies.
32This kind of spread was documented during Zika outbreaks nearly 10 years ago.
33The CDC has issued guidance that pregnant women should avoid non-necessary travel to Cuba.
34The agency also suggested that all travelers take steps to prevent insect bites, such as using insect repellents and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
35I'm Bryan Lynn.
1American health officials have identified a virus spread by insects in more than 20 people who visited Cuba. The virus is officially called Oropouche. It is also known as sloth fever. 2The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said August 27 it had received reports of 21 cases in the United States. All of the cases - 20 in Florida and one in New York - involved people who had traveled to Cuba. 3European health officials said they had identified 19 cases of the virus, nearly all of them in travelers. 4The CDC explains that Oropouche is usually spread through the bites of small flies called midges, as well as mosquitoes. Signs, or symptoms, of the sickness usually start three to 10 days after an insect bite. They can include headache, high temperature, joint stiffness, stomach problems and sensitivity to light. 5The CDC says most virus cases last from three to six days and people generally recover without any long-term effects. There is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for the sickness. 6Where did Oropouche come from? 7The Oropouche virus is native to forested tropical areas. It was first identified in 1955 in the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The virus was named after a nearby village and water system. 8The sickness is sometimes called sloth fever because scientists investigating the virus found it in a three-toed sloth. Researchers believed the sloths were important in spreading the virus between insects and animals. 9How does it spread? 10The virus is spread to humans by small biting flies called midges, and by some kinds of mosquitoes. Humans have become infected while visiting forested areas and are believed to be responsible for helping the virus make its way to towns and cities. So far, person-to-person transmission, or spread, has not been documented. 11How many cases have there been? 12The virus has recently caused large outbreaks in Amazon areas where it was known to exist. It has also been found in new areas of South America and the Caribbean. About 8,000 local infections have been reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, and Peru. 13Most patients returning from Cuba reported their symptoms between May and July. Three of the patients were hospitalized, with no deaths reported, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 14What are the symptoms and treatments? 15Symptoms can seem similar to other tropical diseases like dengue, Zika or malaria. The most common ones include fever, headaches and muscle pains. Some infected people also suffer from diarrhea, unsettled stomach, vomiting or skin reactions. 16Some patients can suffer symptoms repeatedly. And one in 20 people may experience more severe symptoms like bleeding, meningitis and encephalitis. The virus rarely causes death, although there were recent reports of deaths in two healthy young people in Brazil. 17There are no vaccines to prevent infections and no medicines are currently available to treat the symptoms. 18Are there other concerns? 19In Brazil, officials are investigating reports that infections might be passed on from pregnant women to their unborn babies. This kind of spread was documented during Zika outbreaks nearly 10 years ago. 20The CDC has issued guidance that pregnant women should avoid non-necessary travel to Cuba. The agency also suggested that all travelers take steps to prevent insect bites, such as using insect repellents and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants. 21I'm Bryan Lynn. 22The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 23________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25stiff - adj. hard and difficult to move 26specific - adj. exact or containing details 27tropical - adj. from or in the hottest parts of the world 28fever - n. a high body temperature caused by sickness 29diarrhea - n. a sickness in which a person's solid waste is more liquid than usual and comes out of the body more often 30vomit - v. to have the food, liquid, etc., that is in your stomach come out through your mouth because you are sick 31repellent - n. a substance used to keep insects away