Media Briefing: First case of travel-related Oropouche virus reported in Jefferson County

all right so again good afternoon thank you for joining us on this Wednesday August 28th again I'm Kristen Shanahan the public information officer at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness as you are aware we are here to discuss Jefferson County's first case of travel related orpo Virus Infection joining us to explain what orpo virus is and how to prevent becoming infected is Dr Chris Bryant our associate medical director and pediatric infectious disease specialist at Norton ch s we also have Matt Vanderpool on a public health and wellness environmental health specialist he is what we like to call our bug expert and works in our mosquito and tick control program also joining us is Dr Patricia Batista sea the current chair of the Louisville Metro Board of Health and the health empowerment coordinator for laac Center here in Louisville I'd like to ask everyone to mute your devices which they should already be and when we turn to questions please raise your hand so I can call on you or you can put your question in the chat for members of our Spanish media feel free to ask your questions in Spanish and Dr Batista will facilitate translation so let's start off with Dr Bryant Dr Bryant can you please give us a situation update thank you Kristen and welcome everyone an individual in Jefferson County has been diagnosed with oropo Virus Infection this individual ual had recently traveled to Cuba where there is an ongoing outbreak of oropo now um this uh individual is uh fortunately recovering and doing well the individual is one of about 22 cases Nationwide that have been acquired during travel abroad uh oropo is a virus that that is transmitted to humans um by the bites of uh midges which are little biting flies or some kinds of mosquitoes symptoms begin three to 10 days after you're bitten and common symptoms look a lot like other diseases that you get from mosquitoes so these symptoms might include fever chills headaches body aches muscle aches um most cases are mild as I mentioned symptoms last around a week um but they do tend to recur at least once rare cases of menitis or severe even fatal infections have been reported um uh there is no treatment for oropo virus um there is no vaccine to prevent it um the most important thing people can do to protect themselves is avoid bug bites when they are traveling to a place where Oro is being transmitted all right Matt I'm gonna bring you in can you tell us how orpo is spread sure uh Kristen so Oro virus um is spread to People by mosquitoes it's considered a vector born disease um humans are the reservoir meaning that the the virus itself is within infected people and then a mosquito would bite one of these infected people and then would then potentially be able to land on somebody else and then bite them and pass the virus along this is different than what we see in most of uh the vector born diseases that we have in this area um the the primary Vector for Oro uh in South America and Central America is a type of biing flights a very T very tiny uh biing mge and it's been shown uh throughout all of South America Central America and most of the Southern States but also on many of our bordering states to Kentucky and then as far north as Wisconsin so there's the potential that we could have this uh biting fly here but we haven't found it so um we could have the mge we may not have the mge um the we are just not sure um there are also three different species of mosquitoes that have been implicated in potentially carrying uh or push from person to person and then once only one of those is potentially in this area the uh most northern border of that mosquitoes range um is Kentucky we haven't found it in Kentucky um but again that is still a possibility so out of an abundance of caution uh the Victor control team is treating this as if it can be passed from uh mosquito to person in our jurisdiction and we're combating it that way Paul I see you have your hand raised yeah uh good afternoon for uh either one of you is this sounds a lot two two questions this sounds like West Nile Virus is that is that a fair comparison um there are a lot of similarities um between Oro and West Nile um the some of the symptoms are very similar um like West Nile this can be transmitted by mosquitoes but it's also transmitted in many places by the biting midges um there are a couple of of important differences with this virus um and one is that it can be passed from a pregnant person to their developing baby uh during pregnancy if we look at all of the cases that have occurred across the globe um there have been miscarriages when a pregnant person has been infected um and some congenital malformations so that's an important difference and that um uh that really informs some of the prevention strategies and why there is a level to travel alert for pregnant people to Cuba so um everyone going to Cuba is urged to prevent bug bites but pregnant people are advised to reconsider non-essential travel to Cuba um this is not a virus that we want pregnant people to get the first thing that came to mind when I got the email well I've been in this business a long time this is the first I've ever heard of this virus um and and so and now the Health Department's holding a a zoom conference should I be alarmed should we be alarmed that this virus has found its way into Jefferson County oh Paul I'm so glad you asked that question so no I we don't want anyone to be alarmed um we are holding a press conference because um this is the first case of oropo virus infection identified in Jefferson County it's the first case identified in Kentucky uh yesterday the CDC released a report describing 21 other travel Associated cases um in the US through August 15ish um and so this is an evolving situation um we want want people to be aware so that's number one um number two um we want to make sure that people traveling to Cuba and other places where this virus is spreading know about it and know what to do to protect themselves and so you know one of the most important things you can do and Matt can talk more about this is use insect repellent um now there are also some recommendations for people who um have traveled to areas where this virus is spreading like Cuba um special things that you should do when you come home um and so the CDC recommends that people who are returning to the US um from places where the virus is spreading such as Cuba um take care to prevent bug bites for three weeks after they return home um so that means wearing insect repellent to the extent you can wearing long sleeves long pants staying in the air conditioning if you've opened your windows use screens and that is really out of an abundance of caution um because as Matt mentioned um if I have the virus in my blood and a mosquito bites me and then it bites someone else that could transmit the virus um we don't we don't have virus Transmission in the US we don't want virus Transmission in the US so we just want to make sure everybody knows how to be safe um um and they can enjoy safe travels and Dr Bryant hit hit on something and you had ask originally you know what what is the difference is this really just kind of another West Nile Virus sort of thing so within humans westnile virus we're a dead end host mosquitoes can't get it from us and then pass it on to other people that's what makes War poo a little bit different and that's what that additional strategy of if you have traveled to areas where uh Oro is transmission is occurring when you come home you still want to use insect repellent to keep mosquitoes um and biting insects away from you to reduce any potential that that could be passed from person to person so it's protecting the people around you once you come home and yes that is an abundance of caution but that's that's wherein both of these diseases uh differ significantly people are the reservoir for Oro and I see Louise join a moment ago Lou did you have any questions or Jose Xavier any other reporters that we have on Louise did you want to ask a question quick question hello to every everybody thank you for doing what you're doing um is it going to have an official um warning to the community I mean how the people will know about it um Louis I'm glad you asked that question um those of you who are gathered here today um are are going to be very important in helping us um spread the word to the community we we'll be um communicating through our Community Partners um um Dr Batista sea might want to uh mention more about that but we appreciate each of you helping us uh uh spread the word about this virus thank you and if I may um you know uh the panamerican uh health organiz ation um has described that this um oruche infection is not only happening in Cuba but other Latin American countries and Caribbean Colombia Kuba Brazil Bolivia Peru but unfortunately the the community that is traveling the most um to the country that is having uh several cases many of them undocumented or not not very well documented it's Cuba and Louisville has the second largest Cuban community so we are doing this calling to the community to alert our C Cuban Community to take take precautions before traveling while they are traveling and when they are coming back in order of um prevent any humano human infections through the vector through through mosquitoes that's why we're doing what we're doing today and Dr Bryant can you go over um the signs and symptoms of Oro and then talk about any treatments yes so oroo causes um fever chills uh headaches muscle aches body aches those are the most common symptoms um and they begin 3 to 10 days after you're bitten they last about a week now many people feel better for a few days maybe a week and then the symptoms recur that's very common um this virus can cause more severe disease um it can cause things like menitis or an inflammation of the fluid around the brain there have been a small number of deaths reported um in out of the more than 8,000 cases that we know about that have occurred across the world just this year um as I mentioned this virus can also be transmitted um from a pregnant person uh to their baby um prior to birth and it that can result in um miscarriage or other adverse pregnancy outcomes um there there's really no antiviral treatment for this the treatment is supportive um one important thing to know is that when there is fever um and you want to treat the fever you should use Tylenol also called acetaminophen um rather than medications like aspirin or ibuprofen or moin and that's to reduce the risk of bleeding this viral infection occasionally causes bleeding um the symptoms look a lot like Denay which is another mosquito born illness that can cause bleeding and so we don't want to give any medication that might contribute to bleeding um and so so Tylenol for fever and then can you remind people Dr Bryant of what to do if they have recently traveled to Cuba and are seeing these symptoms yes I think anyone who has traveled outside the US whether you've been to Cuba or one of the other countries that Dr Batista sea mentioned where um uh transmission is happening um or you've just traveled outside inside the US and you develop a fever be sure and tell your doctor or health care provider where you've been um because different infections are prevalent in different places um if you know that you've been someplace where or AO is spreading um and you're worried about that talk to your health care provider um this is a um a new virus to uh doctors in our area and so if you think you might have been exposed and you develop a fever just be sure and share your travel history great advice thank you Dr Bryant and Matt can you expand on we've talked about other diseases that mosquitoes ticks other insects can carry it's important to always protect yourself against insect bites can you talk about ways in which you can do that besides wearing insect repellent sure so with with mosquitoes in general I mean all mosquitoes require staining water to be able to breed so one of the best things that anybody can do is to look around their property look around their their you know the around their apartment building um their house even when you're talking to your neighbors over the fence and whatever else just look for things that could be holding water and these things can be as small as flower pot saucers uh bird baths fountains that aren't running so mosquitoes generally are not going to be breeding in running water so if you have a stream out back that's flowing and has fish that's that's really not going to be a problem if you have a pond nearby that has fish and an ecosystem that's probably not going to be your problem however if there's a stagnant swimming pool that's turning green or a bunch of tires in the alleyway or something along those lines those types of standing water are what you're going to have a lot of mosquito breeding in that are going to cause a lot of problems for you and your neighbors so um number one see that you have those if it's within your power to turn over that water empty things out that's going to do you the most good uh making sure that your gutters are are properly draining you don't have you know water sitting in your gutters or they're not the down spouts aren't clogged uh taking care of those things um anytime that you have any mosquito issues in your yard uh you can always call Metro call 311 you can make a complaint through Metro call 311 and one of our environmentalists will come out look at your yard look at the neighboring yards and see if we can't figure out where those mosquitoes might be coming from to be able to take care of that now besides just checking out the environment where you live you know uh we've said several times you know you should wear insect repellent uh there are a lot of great EPA recommended insect repellant that are on the market um and there's links on our vector control website to uh EPA recommendations for those um it's also as much as I hate to say it you know it's it's really hot outside but wearing long sleeves long pants will keep uh midge Flies and mosquitoes from being able to get in contact with your skin and that can help and also just kind of changing what our normal rhythms are I mean it's still summertime we like to be outside but mosquitoes are going to be outside they're also going to be most active in the early morning and in the uh afternoon and at night so as much as we can limit our time outside during those times the mosquitoes are going to be most active that's going to help us out the most and if we have to be outside during those times you should absolutely always be wearing insect repellent to try and make yourself not smell good to mosquitoes so they're not going to bother you thank you Matt and Paul I see you have your hand raised again Dr Brian just a quick question is it fair for me to characterize or describe this as a rare virus is is rare a good word to use uh it is absolutely rare in the United States um globally there have been more than 8,000 cases this year so um it is a virus that has been very uncommon in the United States um but we are seeing uh uh uh increasing reports of travel related cases like the one in Jefferson County um and I anticipate that we are likely to see additional travel related cases and just to confirm what you had mentioned earlier this is the first confirmed report ever in in Jefferson County and Kentucky um this is the first confirmed report in Jefferson County um um and to my knowledge we uh we have not had other cases in Kentucky certainly not this year um coincident with the increase in cases globally this is not a brand new virus um this virus was described initially I think back in the 90s um but what's happened this year has really been a big increase in cases globally thank you thank you Paul anyone else have any other questions okay all right I'm going to leave it to our interviewees to share their final thoughts so Dr Bryant I'm going to start with you um so um oropo virus is a uh a virus that is transmitted to people um by biting midges and mosquitoes we've identified a travel Associated case in Jefferson County um it is important for people to uh take steps to protect themselves um against uh insect bites um and uh whether you're traveling um or you're staying at home uh that's a that's an important take-home message and Matt do you have any final thoughts sure um just briefly it piggybacks off of what Dr Brian is saying just make sure that anytime that you're going to be outside I mean you can't look at an insect mosquito otherwise and say oh this one has a virus and that one doesn't you just can't do that so it's always important that you're taking whatever precautions that you can to avoid insect bites period if you're traveling internationally and you're coming back make sure that you're wearing insect uh repellent if you've been in these uh areas where Oro is being transmitted for three weeks so that it reduces the potential for uh the virus to maybe get into the population of mosquitoes that we have in this area and the health department is is very familiar with different Vector born diseases we've had a program uh established for the last 68 years um we've we're going out we're we're dealing with the virus um in the mosquito population just like we would with westn virus and other diseases so this hasn't kind of caught us by surprise we we know how to handle these sorts of things so um the public can be you know assured that the health department is is actively uh taking measures uh to to deal with this and that if they have any mosquito issues they can always call Metro call 311 good reminder Matt oh and Louise you had a question oh you're muted okay sorry just a quick comment the Cubans are traveling to Cuba but they are not traveling from Louisville airport they have to go through Miami or Tampa so I would say that first they are coming through this cies and later they are coming to louisi just for you know general information because there is not any flight the direct flight from CU to here just a quick comment other than that thank you for inviting us um let me know as soon if you have information so we can start um chatting with the rest of the community thank you Louise and so you you raise a good point um that we you know we we need to think about how people are traveling um the symptoms that um don't develop immediately after you're bitten um the symptoms develop 3 to 10 days um after someone is bitten so someone could be um in Brazil or Peru or Cuba or or any um place where this virus is being transmitted um and even if they take a circuitous route home back to Louisville um or it takes a couple of days um uh we we need to let them know what to to watch for um because the symptoms may take a few days to develop and Dr Batista sea can you also give us your final thoughts and then go over the key messages in Spanish for us yes for sure um and this is just a highlight of um what Dr Brian has been sharing with us the 21 cases that have been reported in the country have been related to international travel and most of these cases just seconding what Lis David Fuentes is saying are located in Florida bra PR for thank you so much does anyone else have any final questions before we wrap up okay thank you everyone for joining us and sharing this important message and thank you Dr Bryant thank you Matt and thank you Dr atista sea for joining us and taking your time to share this information all right everyone have a great day thanks to everyone for helping us share this news