Travellers urged to stay ‘vigilant’ after Oropouche virus brought back to Europe

Oropouche is usually found in the Amazon rainforest. Photo / 123RF

Travellers in Latin America have been warned to stay “vigilant” after 19 cases of Oropouche virus (Orov) were detected in tourists returning to Europe.

Spain, Italy and Germany reported infections in numerous patients who had recently travelled to Cuba and Brazil, where outbreaks of the virus have caused health ministries to sound the alarm.

In June and July, a total of 15 imported infections were reported in Spain, as well as five in Italy and two in Germany, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The ECDC warned of a moderate threat to travellers visiting Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Cuba, where Orov is currently spreading. It added recent data indicates the virus may cause stillbirths and birth defects.

“The impact of Orov infection for pregnant women, foetuses and newborns could therefore be higher than for the general population,” it said.

So far, the majority of cases have been reported in Brazil, but the virus has also been detected in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru.

The Ministry of Public Health of Cuba first reported Orov cases on May 27. Since then, a total of 74 cases have been confirmed - the majority of them in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Songo La Maya.

A total of 7286 cases of Orov have been registered in 21 Brazilian states up to July 28, several times the number of infections recorded in all of 2023, according to data from Brazil’s health ministry.

Dr Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London, warned there is a “real need for vigilance” given the rapid spread of the virus.

“Oropouche is taking off this summer in the Americas - so, a concern to people there, a concern to tourists,” he said.

Orov is part of the arbovirus family that includes the Zika virus and dengue fever. It is usually found in the Amazon rainforest and is spread primarily by biting midges.

Patients typically develop a fever three to eight days after infection. Common symptoms include rashes, headaches and muscle or joint pain. Some may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms and sensitivity to light.

The ECDC recommended laboratory testing for Orov when other tests for other diseases - like dengue, chikungunya or Zika - are negative.

Late last month, Brazil reported the world’s first deaths from the virus after two women in their 20s succumbed to the illness in the northeastern state of Bahia.

In echoes of the Zika outbreak that swept the continent in 2015, the virus has been linked to stillbirths and birth defects.

Brazil’s health ministry reported earlier this month there are eight cases of direct mother-to-foetus transmission under investigation, four of these in Pernambuco, one in Bahia and three in Acre.

Dr Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said that he would advise “against non-essential travel to infected areas for pregnant women”.

He added he is “almost certain” there are more infections in Europe than currently reported.

Altmann said he was concerned that Orov could one day spread to Southern Europe and North America, given vectors carrying the virus “are thriving in their expanded geographical range due to global warming”.