Experts issue warning as dangerous virus once isolated to the Amazon is now spreading around globe: 'Basically everywhere'
Ever wonder how a tiny bite can send someone to the hospital? That's what's happening now with the Oropouche virus.
What's happening?
Vox reports that Oropouche, once hidden deep in the Amazon, infected at least 23,000 people starting in 2023. This virus used to only pop up near rainforests. Now it's reaching major cities such as Rio de Janeiro. Travelers have even carried it back to the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Five people have died.
"It's very likely that these public health problems that people before called 'tropical disease' are not so tropical anymore and are basically everywhere," William de Souza from the University of Kentucky said.
Oropouche spreads through the bite of a tiny biting midge. Symptoms include fever, cough, chills, and body aches. First spotted in 1955 in Trinidad, it was ignored for decades because cases were rare.
Then something shifted.
Why is the Oropouche virus concerning?
This virus is showing up where people never thought it would. Rising temperatures, heavy rains, and international travel have helped it spread. El Niño added even more rain, creating perfect breeding grounds for insects.
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"El Niño and other climate phenomena have been associated with the change of the patterns of many different vector-borne diseases," De Souza said.
The virus mutates fast. "Reassortment is when you have two similar viruses infect the same cell and they mix genomes," De Souza explained. This means people can get sick again with new versions.
Tatiane Moraes de Sousa from Fiocruz said: "Oropouche before 2024 was concentrated just in the Amazon. Last year, we saw the spreading of Oropouche in almost all Brazilian states."
Most people recover, but there's no treatment or vaccine. Symptoms mimic dengue and Zika, so many cases go unnoticed.
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What can I do to help fight the Oropouche virus?
Researchers are looking for better ways to control it. The Vox report says simple actions such as draining standing water and spraying breeding grounds can slow midges down. Some areas build habitats for bats, dragonflies, and birds that eat midges.
Brazil is releasing lab-raised mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria to reduce the spread of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. This method might help with other viruses. Scientists are also working on vaccines that can protect against multiple insect-borne illnesses.
"We are seeing so many outbreaks that we need broad vaccines," De Sousa said.
In the U.S., health departments are staying on alert. "We've been having biweekly meetings with CDC to talk about the potential for Oropouche coming into the U.S. and spreading," Bethany Bolling from the Texas Department of State Health Services said, per Vox.
Some folks might shrug this off, thinking it's just another tropical fever, but as midges and mosquitoes reach more places, Oropouche is becoming everyone's problem.
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Experts issue warning as dangerous virus once isolated to the Amazon is now spreading around globe: 'Basically everywhere' first appeared on The Cool Down.
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