Science Alert Health officials have issued a warning to travellers after 19 cases of the insect-borne illness Oropouche virus were confirmed for the first time ever in Europe. Those who had tested positive for the virus had recently returned from holiday in Cuba and Brazil. Parts of South America and Cuba are currently in the midst of an ongoing outbreak of Oropouche virus, with cases many times higher than normal. The first ever deaths from Oropouche virus were also confirmed recently in Brazil, adding to concerns about the current outbreak.
Oropouche virus is an arthropod-borne virus – meaning it’s transmitted to humans if they’re bitten by infected midges or mosquitoes. It’s the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral disease in south America – after dengue virus.
The virus was first discovered in 1955 in a forest worker who had contracted it working near the Oropouche river in Trinidad and Tobago. The first large outbreak was reported in the 1960s in Belém, Brazil, where 11,000 cases were recorded.