Why are doctors being warned about the Oropouche virus?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have warned doctors to be vigilant as the Oropouche virus spreads to new countries.1 The first ever deaths from the disease were recorded this year, and there has been a sharp increase in reported infections. Between 1 January and 20 July 8078 cases were reported, against a total of 832 cases in the whole of 2023, show data from the World Health Organization.2

The virus is now spreading far from the Amazon, where it is usually found in animals, and there is evidence of vertical transmission from women to their fetuses, possibly causing birth defects and stillbirths.

Last month PAHO increased the risk level it set for Oropouche, from moderate to high,3 and some experts are concerned that if the virus continues to take hold in new areas across the Americas it could overwhelm fragile health systems.4 “As testing and surveillance for Oropouche virus disease increase in the Americas, reports of cases from additional countries are expected,” the CDC said in its health alert,1 which asked healthcare workers to look out for the disease’s typical symptoms.