Table of Contents
- What is Oropouche Fever?
- How is the Oropouche Virus Transmitted?
- Where is the Tropical Virus Prevalent?
- How Dangerous is Oropouche Fever?
- What Symptoms Appear in an Infection?
- How is Oropouche Fever Treated?
- Is the Spread of the Tropical Virus Expected in Europe?
- Oropouche fever in Germany <unk> How dangerous is the tropical virus?
Tropical diseases are on the rise in Europe. After the recent spread of dengue fever, a new tropical virus is now being talked about - the Oropouche virus. It is currently spreading in South and Central America, but Italy and Spain have also reported a few cases in recent weeks, involving travelers from Cuba and Brazil, according to the Robert Koch Institute's current "Epidemiological Bulletin". The virus has now reached Germany, with the RKI reporting two infected individuals.
What is Oropouche fever? How dangerous is the tropical virus? And is its spread expected in Europe? An overview of the current state of knowledge.
What is Oropouche Fever?
Oropouche fever is an infectious disease caused by the tropical Oropouche virus, which triggers flu-like symptoms in humans. The disease resembles dengue fever.
How is the Oropouche Virus Transmitted?
The virus is transmitted to humans through insects, particularly mosquitoes and sandflies. The virus can occur in both urban and rural areas. The likelihood of infection increases during the rainy season.
In Europe, these specific mosquitoes do not exist, according to the RKI. So far, no transmission has been observed in Europe, and it is unclear whether the virus could be transmitted by a European mosquito species. Based on current knowledge, the spread in Germany is very unlikely, the authority emphasizes.
Transmission from person to person has not been known so far.
Where is the Tropical Virus Prevalent?
The Oropouche virus is mainly prevalent in the Amazon region. It has been identified in countries in Central and South America, as well as parts of the Caribbean. In South America, it is one of the most widespread viruses, the arboviruses. Officially, more than 500,000 cases of Oropouche fever have been diagnosed since 1955. However, the actual number is likely much higher.
According to an epidemiological update, more than 5,000 cases of Oropouche fever have been reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Cuba from January to April this year. Newer numbers show that the spread is increasing. So far, more than 7,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of Oropouche fever have been registered in Brazil alone. Among them were two deaths associated with the virus.
After the first known cases in Italy and Spain, Oropouche fever has now also been registered for the first time in Germany. "So far, only travel-related cases have been known in Europe," the RKI writes. The two German cases from Saxony and Baden-Württemberg also involve travelers from Cuba.
How Dangerous is Oropouche Fever?
Typically, infected individuals recover within seven days, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In rare cases, the disease can also last for weeks. Although Oropouche fever is usually not fatal, an infection can cause severe symptoms in individual cases, especially in immunocompromised persons.
What Symptoms Appear in an Infection?
About three to eight days after a person is bitten by a transmitter insect, the first symptoms usually appear. These symptoms of the disease are largely comparable to those of other tropical viral fevers such as dengue, Zika, or Chikungunya, making a clear diagnosis difficult.
Symptoms of the disease include high fever, general malaise, headaches, joint and muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, chills, and light sensitivity. Severe symptoms are rare, but cases of meningitis and encephalitis affecting the central nervous system have been reported.
The virus may potentially cause birth defects. Therefore, pregnant women may consider avoiding travel to current outbreak areas.
In more than half of the cases (about 60 percent), a second phase occurs after an initial acute phase. In this phase, symptoms reappear in a milder form after two to ten days, or sometimes even after a month.
How is Oropouche Fever treated?
There is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for Oropouche Fever. The therapy currently aims to alleviate the symptoms.
Is the spread of the tropical virus in Europe to be expected?
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has been warning for several years that the risk of transmitter insects such as the tiger mosquito and the yellow fever mosquito settling and tropical diseases spreading in Germany is increasing due to the climate crisis, rising temperatures, and longer heat waves. This includes malaria, the West Nile virus, Zika, and dengue.
This text was first published on June 24, 2024, and has been updated due to new developments.
Source: Meldung des IRCCS, Weltklimarat, Studie, NIH, RKI, WHO, WHO2, Epidemical Report, Epidemisches Bulletin, DPA
The Oropouche virus, responsible for Oropouche fever, has now reached Germany, with two infected individuals reported by the Robert Koch Institute. Despite the virus being mainly prevalent in the Amazon region and other parts of Central and South America, its spread in Europe is currently considered unlikely due to the absence of specific mosquitoes in Europe that transmit the virus.
