The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert Friday to notify clinicians and public health officials of an increase in Oropouche virus disease in the Americas, which has caused two deaths since the beginning of the year.
The Oropouche virus is spread by the bites of infected midges (small flies) and mosquitoes. Symptoms of the disease include headache, fever and muscle aches, with more severe cases leading to meningitis.
Between January 1 and August 1, more than 8,000 cases of the disease were reported, including two deaths and five cases of vertical transmission, where the virus passes from parents to the fetus during pregnancy, according to the CDC.
There is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for this disease.
Countries reporting cases include Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Cuba, the CDC said, adding that travel-associated cases have been identified in the United States and Europe in people returning from Cuba and Brazil.
The health agency recommends testing and evaluation of travelers who have been to affected areas and who have signs and symptoms consistent with Oropouche infection.
The CDC expects cases in other countries as testing and surveillance ramp up in the Americas. (Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Writing by Shilpi Majumdar)
